Digitalisation and sustainable development: a geopolitical perspective. The ecological footprint of the digital industry is three times that of a country like France or the UK. Digital technologies consume 10 per cent of the world’s electricity and produce around 4 per cent of global CO2 emissions, almost twice as much as the world’s civil aviation. These percentages are bound to increase, jeopardising an already complex ecological transition that has been slowed by a tangle of geopolitical tensions, especially when two factors are taken into account. Firstly, the global demand for digital services is growing, but users’ awareness of their environmental impact remains low. Second, platforms and large digital companies are proving to be more powerful than the regulators, whether national or international, to which they are subject. In this scenario, innovation emerges as a political force, while politics increasingly appears as a powerless force. The aim of this paper is to analyse from a geopolitical perspective: the evolution of the relationship between the digital industry and sustainable development; the potential conflict scenarios between private and state geopolitical actors, trying to identify the possible new holders of the reins of power in a digital world.
DIGITALIZZAZIONE E SVILUPPO SOSTENIBILE: UNA PROSPETTIVA GEOPOLITICA
Terranova G.
2024-01-01
Abstract
Digitalisation and sustainable development: a geopolitical perspective. The ecological footprint of the digital industry is three times that of a country like France or the UK. Digital technologies consume 10 per cent of the world’s electricity and produce around 4 per cent of global CO2 emissions, almost twice as much as the world’s civil aviation. These percentages are bound to increase, jeopardising an already complex ecological transition that has been slowed by a tangle of geopolitical tensions, especially when two factors are taken into account. Firstly, the global demand for digital services is growing, but users’ awareness of their environmental impact remains low. Second, platforms and large digital companies are proving to be more powerful than the regulators, whether national or international, to which they are subject. In this scenario, innovation emerges as a political force, while politics increasingly appears as a powerless force. The aim of this paper is to analyse from a geopolitical perspective: the evolution of the relationship between the digital industry and sustainable development; the potential conflict scenarios between private and state geopolitical actors, trying to identify the possible new holders of the reins of power in a digital world.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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