Digitalisation and Green Economy Interactions between the process of digitalisation and the transition to a green economy

The project aims to analyse and evaluate the opportunities and challenges of digital change from an environmental point of view. The project investigates the environmental effects of digitalisation, the future scenarios for the diffusion of new technologies and the possible effects on the environment and society. In particular, design options for environmental relief will be evaluated.

Four dimensions are considered within the project: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, digital platforms, digital technologies and rural areas. The IÖW is working on the sub-area of digital platforms, which, due to the close links, will be dealt with in coordination with the other two approaches. Based on a typologisation of digital platforms, a literature analysis will first be carried out. Subsequently, two in-depth studies will be carried out on those digital platforms whose environmental relevance is considered to be particularly high. The governance mechanisms of these platforms will be examined in order to determine to what extent they contribute to a decoupling of economic growth and resource consumption and ultimately to a transformation towards a more sustainable economy, while at the same time avoiding rebound effects.

The work of the IÖW is embedded in the future scenarios developed by Fraunhofer ISI and the overall sustainability assessment.