Abstract: Immer mehr Alltagshandlungen hinterlassen Datenspuren, die darüber Aus¬kunft geben, wo wir uns aufgehalten haben und mit wem wir in Verbindung stehen. Ob wir mobil telefonieren, auf das Internet zugreifen, von einer Video¬kamera erfasst werden, ein Foto auf eine Internetplattform hochladen, mit einem Chip eine Tür öffnen oder bargeldlos bezahlen: Fast immer entstehen dabei Daten, die sich zu Bewegungsprofilen zusammenfügen lassen und Rückschlüsse auf unsere Lebenssituation zulassen.
Neben der Satellitenortung durch GPS gibt es mehr als ein Dutzend Technologien, die indirekt die Ortung von Personen zulassen. Welche gesellschaftlichen Chancen und Risiken resultieren aus der Verbreitung dieser Technologien? Wer kann, wer darf unter welchen Bedingungen Ortungsdaten erfassen, speichern, verarbeiten, weitergeben oder löschen? Welche Massnahmen können Bürgerinnen und Bürger, Unternehmen und der Gesetzgeber ergreifen, um dem Missbrauch von Ortungs¬daten vorzubeugen und eine rechtsstaatliche, demokratische Nutzung der Ortungstechnologien zu fördern?
Das vorliegende Buch untersucht die Situation in der Schweiz und berücksichtigt dabei ebenfalls Datenschutz-Entwicklungen in der Europäischen Union und im Europarat.
Abstract: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are continuously making astounding progress in technical efficiency. The time, space, material and energy needed to provide
a unit of ICT service have decreased by three orders of magnitude (a factor of 1000) since the first PC was sold.
However, it seems to be difficult for society to translate this efficiency progress into progress in terms of sustainable development. Basically, the idea of an information society has a huge potential to solve the dilemma of sustainable development, which is: Providing quality of life to all people without overusing the ecosystem. This dilemma can only be solved if society manages to create value with much less material and energy input. As has been discussed for decades now, a âdematerializationâ of the economic system by a factor of 4-10 is a precondition for sustainability. Creating an information society which makes use of ICTs to provide immaterial services where previously material goods were produced, transported and disposed of, could be a key to economic dematerialization.
CHAPTER 1:⨠Sustainability in the Information Society â an Introduction
CHAPTER 2: â¨Environmental Informatics and the Vision of a Sustainable Information Society
CHAPTER 3:⨠The Information Society and the Dematerialization Issue
CHAPTER 4:⨠ICT, Time Efficiency, and the Rebound Effect
CHAPTER 5:⨠Technological Complexity and the Precautionary Principle
CHAPTER 6:⨠ICT and Life-Cycle Assessment
CHAPTER 7: â¨A Conceptual Framework for ICT Effects on Sustainability
CHAPTER 8:⨠Steps towards a Sustainable Information Society
Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) bring about new opportunities as well as new risks for the goal of sustainable development. This book focuses mainly on the opportunities in that it shows how information systems can help society to approach sustainable development, i.e. to reach a kind of economic activity that is compatible over the long run with human and social welfare, and with nature.
Even after the first UN World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva 2003, the relationship between issues of the global information society and of sustainable development is not being discussed adequately. It seems that the interdisciplinary and international research in this field is just beginning.
However, there have been large projects to develop information systems that contribute to sustainable development in recent years, most of them on a national level in European countries. This book gives an overview of the background and the current state of these efforts in presenting the basic principles of such information systems and giving practical examples.
Abstract: (German) Mit diesem Memorandum will der Arbeitskreis «Nachhaltige Informationsgesellschaft» der Gesellschaft für Informatik aufzeigen, welchen Beitrag Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (Information and Communication Technologies, ICT) zu einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung leisten können. Der immer breitere Einsatz von ICT begünstigt nicht automatisch eine nachhaltige, dauerhaft umweltgerechte Entwicklung. Vielmehr ist politischer Gestaltungswille erforderlich, wenn auf dem Weg in eine globale Informationsgesellschaft die Idee der nachhaltigen Entwicklung eine Chance bekommen soll.
(English) In writing this Memorandum, the Working Group «Sustainable Information Society» of the German Informatics Society (GI) calls out to politicians, business and the scientific community to seize this opportunity to make the sustainable information society a reality. There are clear signs that this opportunity is being missed. Only if the discourse on information society is combined with the discourse on sustainable develop- ment it will be possible to avoid negative effects of ICT on humans, society and nature.
Abstract: There is a growing consensus that ICT can make an important contribution towards the reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, both by increasing the efficiency of existing processes, and by enabling substitution effects in an effort to implement more energy efficient paradigms in production and consumption. While, however, many studies based on theoretical reduction potentials have been presented, in practice, it has only been possible to cite a few examples of such reductions thus far.
This paper presents the results of a first field experiment for one particular domain in which ICT can be substituted for more carbon-intensive technologies: using advanced videoconferencing technology to reduce intercontinental conference travel and thus travel-related greenhouse gas emissions. We organized a large resource management conference simultaneously on two continents and assessed the emissions caused by the attendeesâ travel and by the Internet traffic and the additional equipment needed to connect the two venues. We further assessed, based on a survey, the emissions in the alternative scenarios of holding the conference at either one of the places, and the satisfaction of the participants with the two-site conference format. The results show that reductions of 37% and 50% in travel-related greenhouse gas emissions were attained as compared to the one-site alternatives, although more people took part than in any of these alternatives. At the same time, the attendeesâ experience has been overwhelmingly positive, showing that the multiple-site paradigm can serve as an acceptable alternative to the traditional one-site paradigm of holding an international conference.
Abstract: With two regulations, 244/2009 and 245/2009, the European Commission recently put into practice the EuP
Directive in the area of lighting devices, aiming to improve energy efficiency in the domestic lighting sector.
This article presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment comparison of four different lighting technologies:
the tungsten lamp, the halogen lamp, the conventional fluorescent lamp and the compact fluorescent lamp.
Taking advantage of the most up-to-date life cycle inventory database available (ecoinvent data version 2.01),
all life cycle phases were assessed and the sensitivity of the results for varying assumptions analysed: different
qualities of compact fluorescent lamps (production phase), different electricity mixes (use phase), and endof-
life scenarios for WEEE recycling versus municipal solid waste incineration (disposal phase). A functional
unit of âone hour of lightingâ was defined and the environmental burdens for the whole life cycle for all four
lamp types were calculated, showing a clearly lower impact for the two gas-discharge lamps, i.e. the
fluorescent and the compact fluorescent lamp. Differences in the product quality of the compact fluorescent
lamps reveal to have only a very small effect on the overall environmental performance of this lamp type; a
decline of the actual life time of this lamp type doesn't result in a change of the rank order of the results of the
here examined four lamp types. It was also shown that the environmental break-even point of the gasdischarge
lamps is reached long before the end of their expected life-span. All in all, it can be concluded that a
change from today's tungsten lamp technology to a low-energy-consuming technology such as the compact
fluorescent lamp results in a substantial environmental benefit.
Abstract: Electronic textiles are a vanguard of an emerging generation of smart products. They consist of small electronic devices that are seamlessly embedded into clothing and technical textiles. E-textiles provide enhanced functions in a variety of unobtrusive and convenient ways. Like many high-tech products, e-textiles may evolve to become a mass market in the future. In this case, large amounts of difficult-to-recycle products will be discarded. That can result in new waste problems.
This article examines the possible end-of-life implications of textile-integrated electronic waste. As a basis for assessment, the innovation trends of e-textiles are reviewed, and an overview of their material composition is provided. Next, scenarios are developed to estimate the magnitude of future e-textile waste streams. On that base, established disposal and recycling routes for e-waste and old textiles are assessed in regard to their capabilities to process a blended feedstock of electronic and textile materials. The results suggest that recycling old e-textiles will be difficult because valuable materials are dispersed in large amounts of heterogeneous textile waste.
Moreover, the electronic components can act as contaminants in the recycling of textile materials. We recommend scrutinizing the innovation trend of technological convergence from the life cycle perspective. Technology developers and product designers should implement waste preventative measures at the early phases in the development process of the emerging technology.
Abstract: Sustainable development requires the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impacts and from the use of natural resources. This article gives an overview of existing approaches to using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the service of sustainability: Environmental Informatics, Green IT/ICT, and Sustainable HCI. These approaches are then discussed in the context of the Jevons paradox, an economic argument implying that technological efficiency alone will not produce sustainability. This consideration leads to the conclusion that a combination of efficiency and sufficiency strategies is the most effective way to stimulate innovations which will unleash ICTâs potential to support sustainability.
Abstract: Many studies on Green IT/Green ICT have already been published, focusing on the energy consumption of ICT or the role of ICT as an enabler of energy efficiency. In this paper, we argue that such an approach is too narrow, and that a broader perspective is needed to utilize the potential of ICT to make our lives more sustainable.
Abstract: This chapter provides the introduction to this 2011 issue of the Politeia journal dedicated to the relationship between sustainability and information and communication technologies (ICT) in the long term. It outlines the content of six papers and examines their similarities and trends. Its main themes are built around how social accountability for sustainability in the information society can be enhanced. Although it is feasible to experiment with many of these proposals today, the ultimate success of the application of these ideas will only be identified over time.
Abstract: During the past decade, several macroeconomic studies on
the potentials of information and communication technology
(ICT) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been
published. The mitigation potentials identified in them vary to
a high degree, mainly because they are not consistently defined
and diverse methodologies are applied. The characteristics of
ICTâexceptional dynamics of innovation and diffusion, social
embedment and cross-sector application, diverse and complex
impact patternsâare a challenge for macroeconomic
studies that quantify ICT impacts on GHG emissions.
This article first reviews principal macroeconomic studies
on ICT and GHG emissions. In the second part, we reconsider
our own study on this topic and present an in-depth
scenario analysis of the future impacts of ICT applications on
GHG emissions. We conclude that forthcoming macroeconomic
studies could strengthen the state of the art in environmental
ICT impact modeling (1) by accounting for the
dynamics of new ICT applications and their first-, second-,
and third-order effects on a global scale, (2) by reflecting the
error margins resulting from data uncertainty in the final results,
and (3) by using scenario techniques to explore future
uncertainty and its impacts on the results.
Abstract: Sustainable development is a political concept with a strong normative component. In this article we show which implications follow from this normative component if it is interpreted in a natural science context. We conclude that from a natural science point of view a far-reaching dematerialization of consumption is a necessary condition for sustainable development. We further conclude that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can only support sustainable development if they are applied as enablers of dematerialized (less material-intensive) types of consumption. Macro-level data on consumption shows, however, that average material flows per capita are still increasing. In this problematical situation we see a need for framework conditions which provide incentives for dematerialization and specialized research on the psychosocial conditions on the basis of which consumption patterns could evolve towards a more dematerialized economy.
Abstract: The precautionary principle (PP) aims to anticipate and minimize potentially serious or irreversible risks under conditions of scientific uncertainty. Thus it preserves the potential for future developments. It has been incorporated into many international treaties and pieces of national legislation for environmental protection and sustainable development. In this article, we outline an interpretation of the PP as a framework of orientation for a sustainable information society. Since the risks induced by future information and communication technologies (ICT) are social risks for the most part, we propose to extend the PP from mainly environmental to social subjects of protection. From an ethical point of view, the PP and sustainability share the principle of intergenerational justice, which can be used as an argument to preserve free space for the decisions of future generations. Applied to technical innovation and to ICT issues in particular, the extended PP can serve as a framework of orientation to avoid socio-economically irreversible developments. We conclude that the PP is a useful approach for: (i) policy makers to reconcile information society and sustainability policies and (ii) ICT companies to formulate sustainability strategies.
Abstract: With the intention of bridging the 'digital divide' many programmes have been launched to provide computers for educational institutions, ranging from refurbishing second hand computers to delivering low cost new computers. The fast and economical provision of large quantities of equipment is one of the many challenges faced by such programmes. If an increase is to be achieved in the sustainability of computer supplies for schools, not only must equipment be provided, but also suitable training and maintenance delivered. Furthermore, appropriate recycling has to be ensured, so that end-of-life equipment can be dealt with properly. This study has evaluated the suitability of three computer supply scenarios to schools in Colombia: (i) 'Colombian refurbishment', -refurbishment of computers donated in Colombia, (ii) 'Overseas refurbishment', -import of computers which were donated and refurbished abroad, and (iii) 'XO Laptop', -purchase of low cost computers manufactured in Korea. The methods applied were: Material Flow Assessment, -to assess the quantities-, Life Cycle Assessment, -to assess the environmental impacts, and the application of the Multiple Attribute Utility Theory, -to analyse, evaluate and compare different scenarios. The most sustainable solution proved to be the local refurbishment of second hand computers of Colombian origin to an appropriate technical standard. The environmental impacts of such practices need to be evaluated carefully, as second hand appliances have to be maintained, require spare parts and sometimes use more energy than newer equipment. Providing schools with second hand computers from overseas and through programmes such as 'One Laptop Per Child' has the disadvantage that the potential for social improvements - such as creation of jobs and local industry involvement - is very low, (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Governance for sustainable development requires policy coherence and Environmental Policy Integration, which are being hindered by difficulties coordinating the two separate impact assessment processes being conducted in the European Commission. One of them, the Commission-wide Impact Assessment process, looks primarily at EU-internal impacts, whereas the other one, Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in DG Trade, looks outward to other countries and intergovernmental organizations. Ideally, the two processes should complement one another, especially as the two are set to continue being done in parallel. The paper uses a case study of the reform of the European sugar regime under a World Trade Organization ruling to demonstrate how the two impact assessment processes could better complement one another. Feedback from the experience had with existing trade agreements could then promote policy learning and inform the negotiations on new agreements. The number of new bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements is expected to continue rising, thus increasing the importance of the Commission-wide Impact Assessment process required for them. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract: How can we accomplish the transition to a sustainable information society? Not by making technologies more environmentally friendly, but by utilizing them to completely reinvent industrial society.
Abstract: Wie schaffen wir die Wende zu einer nachhaltigen Informationsgesellschaft? Nicht, indem wir die Technologien umweltfreundlicher machen, sondern indem wir sie nutzen, um die Industriegesellschaft ganz neu zu erfinden.
Abstract: The environmental performance of presently operated GSM and UMTS networks was analysed concentrating on the environmental effects of the End-of-Life (EOL) phase using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The study was performed based on comprehensive life cycle inventory and life cycle modelling. The environmental effects were quantified using the IMPACT2002+ method. Based on technological forecasts, the environmental effects of forthcoming mobile telephone networks were approximated. The results indicate that a parallel operation of GSM and UNITS networks is environmentally detrimental and the transition phase should be kept as short as possible. The use phase (i.e. the operation) of the radio network components account for a large fraction of the total environmental impact. In particular, there is a need to lower the energy consumption of those network components. Seen in relation to each other, UMTS networks provide an environmentally more efficient mobile communication technology than GSM networks. In assessing the EOL phase, recycling the electronic scrap of mobile phone networks was shown to have clear environmental benefits. Under the present conditions, material recycling could help lower the environmental impact of the production phase by up to 50%. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Information technology (IT) is continuously making astounding progress in technical efficiency. The time, space, material and energy needed to provide a unit of IT service have decreased by three orders of magnitude since the first personal computer (PC) was sold. However, it seems difficult for society to translate ITâs efficiency progress into progress in terms of individual, organizational or socio-economic goals. In particular it seems to be difficult for individuals to work more efficiently, for organizations to be more productive and for the socio-economic system to be more sustainable by using increasingly efficient IT. This article provides empirical evidence and potential explanations for this problem. Many counterproductive effects of IT can be explained economically by rebound effects. Beyond that, we conclude that the technological determinism adopted by decision-makers is the main obstacle in translating ITâs progress into non-technical goals.
Die Informationstechnologie macht laufend erstaunliche Fortschritte hinsichtlich technischer Effizienz. Zeit-, Raum-, Material- und Energieaufwand pro Einheit von IT-Dienstleistungen haben sich seit dem Verkauf des ersten PC um drei GröÃenordnungen verringert. Es scheint jedoch schwierig zu sein, die Entwicklung der IT-Effizienz in Fortschritte hinsichtlich individueller, organisatorischer oder sozioökonomischer Ziele umzumünzen. Insbesondere scheint es dem Einzelnen schwer zu fallen, die zunehmend effiziente IT zu nutzen, um selbst effizienter zu arbeiten; Organisationen scheinen durch effizientere IT nicht produktiver zu werden und sozioökonomische Systeme dem Ziel der Nachhaltigkeit nicht näher zu kommen. Dieser Artikel stellt empirische Ergebnisse und mögliche Erklärungen für dieses Problem zusammen. Viele kontraproduktive Effekte der IT können durch Rebound-Effekte ökonomisch erklärt werden. Darüber hinaus kommen wir zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass es hauptsächlich der technologische Determinismus von Entscheidungsträgern ist, der bisher die Nutzung des informationstechnischen Fortschritts für nicht-technische Ziele behindert.
Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have relevant positive and negative impacts on environmental sustainability on various levels: First-order effects such as increasing electronic waste streams; second-order effects such as improved energy-efficiency of production; third-order effects such as a product-to-service shift in consumption or rebound effects in transport. In the simulation study described in this article, all known relevant effects on all three levels were modeled using a System Dynamics approach in combination with scenario techniques and expert consultations. The prospective study for the European Union with a time-horizon until 2020 revealed great potential for ICT-supported energy management and for a structural change towards a less material-intensive economy, but strong rebound effects in the transport sector whenever ICT applications lead to time or cost savings for transport. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Computer-based systems for processing environmental information have been in use for more than three decades now. A broad range of applications is covered by these systems, including monitoring and control, information management, data analysis, as well as planning and decision support. Progress in informatics has made an invaluable contribution to our ability to analyse the biological, chemical and physical processes taking place in the environment. Inversely, the complex nature of problems occurring in environmental contexts is a great challenge to informatics. From this process of mutual stimulation, a special discipline has emerged known as Environmental Informatics. It combines computer science topics such as database systems, geographic information systems and simulation modelling with respect to their application to environmental research and protection.
Abstract: Goal, Scope and Background. Telephony as well as remote data transfer is increasingly performed via mobile phone networks. However, the environmental consequences, in particular of the End-of-Life (EOL) treatment, of such network infrastructures have been investigated insufficiently to date. In the present report the environmental implications of the EOL treatment of a single GSM 900 antenna rack have been analysed. Methods. Based on comprehensive inventories of a GSM 900 antenna station rack and currently applied EOL treatment, the environmental impacts related to the EOL treatment of the rack are investigated. Six different EOL treatment scenarios are developed to find an environmentally safe treatment alternative. System expansion, i.e. inclusion of the production phase, is applied to all scenarios in order to consider different amounts of regained materials. Results and Discussion. The production of primary rack materials, especially that of palladium (accounts for almost 40% of the ecotoxicity impact category), to substitute lost materials dominates the overall environmental impact. Releases of heavy metals from landfilled rack components/materials and of by-products to the environment greatly influence the overall impacts on human health and ecosystem quality. The final disposal of rack components contributes to about 70% of the non-carcinogenic effects. Landfilled dust from steel production contributes to nearly 11% of this impact category. Conclusions. The results suggest that all precious metals containing electronic scrap should be treated in specially equipped metal recovery plants. A complete rack disassembly before processing in high-standard metal recovery plants is not necessary. An elaborated pre-treatment and fractionation of the scrap prior to precious material recovery does not lower the environmental impacts and is not mandatory and would only become environmentally interesting if high recovery of heavy metals is achieved. To avoid the formation and release of volatile and toxic heavy metal, incineration of electronic scrap as of by-products prior to landfilling should be avoided. To reduce the overall environmental load, a standardisation of the sizes of rack components, facilitating their re-use, is recommended.
Abstract: The Precautionary Principle aims at anticipating and minimizing potentially serious or irreversible risks under conditions of uncertainty. Although it has been incorporated into many international treaties and pieces of national legislation for environmental protection and sustainable development, the Precautionary Principle has rarely been applied to novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their potential environmental impacts. In this article we analyze the implications of the disposal and recycling of packaging materials containing so-called smart labels and discuss the results from the perspective of the Precautionary Principle. We argue that a broad application of smart labels bears some risk of dissipating both toxic and valuable substances, and of disrupting established recycling processes. However, these risks can be avoided by precautionary measures, mainly concerning the composition and the use of smart labels. These measures should be implemented as early as possible in order to avoid irreversible developments which are undesirable from the viewpoint of resource management and environmental protection. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract: A life cycle assessment was carried out based on a detailed life cycle inventory for a typical GSM 900 mobile phone network and related End of Life (EOL) treatment infrastructure. The environmental relevance of the three life cycle phases: production, use and EOL treatment was analysed using IMPACT2002+. The environmentally preferable EOL treatment alternative was identified on the basis of six previously developed EOL treatment scenarios. The results indicate that the environmental impacts attributable to the use phase dominate the environmental impacts incurred over the entire life cycle of the network. The impacts of the production phase are primarily attributable to the energy intensive manufacturing of printed wiring boards (PWB). The EOL phase dominates the impacts on ecosystem quality. In particular the longterm emissions of heavy metals have critical effects. Detailed analysis of the EOL phase shows that recycling of network materials in general leads to a two fold reduction of environmental impacts: in the EOL phase itself as well as by means of the avoided primary production of materials recovered in the EOL phase. An increase in the material quality of the secondary precious and rare materials leads to a significant reduction in the impacts on human health. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Seit Anfang 2004 bündelt die Abteilung âTechnologie und Gesellschaftâ Aktivitäten der
Empa, die sich mit den Auswirkungen neuer Technologien unter dem Aspekt der nachhaltigen Entwicklung befassen. Die Empa, ursprünglich âEidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstaltâ, ist ein staatliches Technologieinstitut mit 800 Mitarbeitenden an drei Standorten und gehört zum ETH-Bereich.
Abstract: RFID technology is one of the forerunners of pervasive computing, and as such is expected to play an important role in many applications of daily life in the near future, especially in the form of Smart Labels. Based on market investigations and a material analysis of a Smart Label we showed that the use of Smart Labels does not considerably affect the recycling or disposal of packaging materials, if precautionary measures are taken, such as eco-design and, where necessary, process modifications.
Abstract: An empirical study conducted by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research showed that using a more powerful PC can significantly slow down office workers in performing every-day office tasks.
Abstract: Die bevorstehende Durchdringung des Alltags mit digitalen Mikrochips, die
immer und überall eingeschaltet und weitgehend drahtlos vernetzt sind,
wirft Fragen nach möglichen Nebenfolgen dieser Technologie auf. Im Sinne
des Vorsorgeprinzips sind auch die teilweise ungeklärten Risiken zu
beachten, die in der Verwirklichung dieser âPervasive Computingâ
genannten Technologievision liegen.
Abstract: Roundput [Int. J. Sustainable Dev. World Ecol. 8 (2001) 29] is one of the most important principles of the development of both natural and industrial ecosystems, and is especially important for analysis of an ecosystem's dynamics and overall functioning. as it is related to an extent to which energy and matter are recycled and used in a cascade-type operation. Here we argue. using two modelling case studies from the UK and Switzerland, that increasing recycling rates for plastic and glass would improve the energy budget of waste management programmes, and, therefore, benefit the corresponding industrial ecosystems. In the first case study we show that the major source of energy savings from glass recycling is through increased use of cullet in glass manufacture (5.4% reduction in total energy consumption with 100% glass recycling when compared to the present-day situation). In terms of energy consumption, recycling is the preferred waste management option, even if a large proportion of the recycled glass is diverted for use as aggregates. Further energy savings could be achieved by introduction of a city-wide kerbside collection scheme, which would result in an estimated maximum reduction (100% recycling rate) of 7.6% in energy consumption for processing of the Southampton household glass wastes. In the second case study we compare the situation in which all wastes are burnt at a MSWI plant with two scenarios assuming that 8.1 % of the plastic is diverted into a cement Kiln (mixed plastics; scenario 1) or a mechanical recycling plant (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene; scenario 2). The resulting net primary energy consumption values for both scenario 1 (5.85E8 MJ or 60% relative to the reference scenario) and 2 (7.46E8 MJ or 76.6% relative to the reference scenario) use less primary energy than the reference scenario (9.74E8 MJ). This means that, from the point of view of resource consumption, the diversion of plastics waste away from the MSWI plant has a beneficial effect. Therefore, the increased recycling of glass and plastic would benefit the industrial ecosystems in terms of energy savings. This is similar to the patterns observed in most natural ecosystems, and a careful consideration of this similarity within a framework of industrial ecology should help to reduce the conflict between the two systems. (C) 2004, Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Abstract: The vision of Pervasive Computing is built on the assumption that computers will become part of everyday objects, augmenting them with information services and enhanced functionality. This article reports on the approach we have used to assess potential side effects of this development on human health and the environment, and the major risks we identified. Social risks such as the risk of conflicts between users and non-users of the technology were also included because of their potential indirect adverse health effects. Assessing a technological vision before it has materialized makes it necessary to deal with two types of uncertainty: first, the uncertainty of how fast and to what extent the technology will be taken up and how it will be used; second, the uncertainty of causal models connecting technology-related causes with potential health or environmental effects. Due to these uncertainties, quantitative methods to evaluate expected risks are inadequate, Instead, we developed a "risk filter" that makes it possible to rank risks according to a set of qualitative criteria based on the Precautionary Principle. As the overall result, it turned out that Pervasive Computing bears potential risks to health, society, and/or the environment in the following fields: Non-ionizing radiation, stress imposed on the user, restriction of consumers' and patients' freedom of choice, threats to ecological sustainability, and dissipation of responsibility in computer-controlled environments.
Abstract: The Precautionary Principle aims to anticipate and minimize potentially serious or irreversible risks under conditions of uncertainty. Thus it preserves the potential for future developments. It has been incorporated into many international treaties and pieces of national legislation for environmental protection and sustainable development. However the Precautionary Principle has not yet been applied systematically to novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their potential environmental, social, and health effects. In this article we argue that precaution is necessary in this field and show how the general principle of precaution can be put in concrete terms in the context of the information society. We advocate precautionary measures directed towards pervasive applications of ICT (Pervasive Computing) because of their inestimable potential impacts on society.
Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) bring about new opportunities as well as new risks for the goal of sustainable development. Even after the first UN World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva 2003, the relationship between issues of the global information society and of sustainable development is not being discussed adequately. It seems that the interdisciplinary and international research in this field is just beginning. But while these issues are being discussed, the world is rapidly changing under the growing influence of ICT and globalization, which are mutually reinforcing factors. This process, which is transforming our industrial society into an information society, has the potential to substitute information and knowledge for material products to some extent. But besides this so-called dematerialization, the change process also entails a progressive globalization of the economy that has thus far boosted goods production, freight volume and passenger transport. Finally, the information society also means acceleration of innovation processes, and thus an ever faster devaluation of the existing by the new, whether hardware or software, technical products or human skills and knowledge.
Abstract: As has been discussed for decades, a reduction of the input of natural resources into industrial production and consumption by a factor of 4 10 is a necessary condition for Sustainable Development. This paper discusses the potential contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to such a dematerialization of the industrial societies and introduces a conceptual framework which accounts for positive and negative impacts of ICT on physical flows. This framework addresses three levels: the ICT life cycle itself, life cycles of other products influenced by ICT applications, and patterns of production and consumption. The conclusion is that ICT will only contribute to Sustainable Development if this technology is recognized and used as an enabler of a deep structural change; a transition towards an economic system in which value-creation is mainly based on information processing while keeping the physical properties of material within some limits that ensure that it can be recycled. This structural change will include the transition from a material-property-transfer mode to a service-transfer mode of consumption in areas where this is technically feasible and beneficial in terms of resource productivity. In such a post-industrial society, which may also be called a sustainable information society, open technological standards will play a crucial role, since they allow for complexity reduction while keeping competition alive, thus minimizing the risk of unmastered complexity in new critical infrastructures.
Abstract: The Human Choice and Computers (HCC) conferences organized by the IFIP Technical Committee 9 (TC9) have been important fora for discussing the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on society, ranging from the way ICT affect our lives at home and at the workplace to the impact that they have in institutions and communities. These conferences have permitted scholars and practitioners to discuss technology from a social perspective: once we understand that artefacts are not neutral, it becomes necessary to explore their economic, political, cultural, and social implications. In this introduction we recount briefly the history of the HCC conferences, in order to contextualise the contribution made by the HCC9 and the papers published in this book, a topic discussed in section 2.
Abstract: We discuss various views and conceptual frameworks put forward in the discussion of ICT and sustainable development: An optimistic and a pessimistic view of ICT with regard to sustainability, the three-pillar approach to sustainable development, the three-level approach to ICT impacts, the claim of human, social and ecological compatibility of ICT and the plain use of ICT for development. We show that each of these approaches has its problems and limitations and conclude with formulating the challenges of finding an analytical approach which will effectively support decision-makers in using ICT in the service of sustainable development.
Abstract: Die Vision einer Informationsgesellschaft, deren Wertschöpfungsprozesse sich als Folge des allgemeinen Zugangs zu Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (IKT) grundlegend von denen der Industriegesellschaft unterscheiden, weckt Hoffnungen: Ist âdie Informationsgesellschaftâ der Ausweg aus dem Dilemma, dass wir einerseits die Natur entlasten, anderer¬seits die Bedürfnisse einer steigenden Zahl von Menschen befriedigen müssen?
Abstract: Die âInformatisierung des Alltagsâ ist eine Vision mit einem hohen gesellschaftlichen Veränderungspotenzial. Die Abschätzung der Folgen einer sol-chen Entwicklung ist notwendig, will man unerwartete negative Auswirkungen minimieren. In der kurzen Geschichte des breiten Einsatzes digitaler Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien hat es sich bereits gezeigt, dass sich der technische Fortschritt nicht automatisch in die erhofften Vorteile für Individuum, Orga-nisation und Gesellschaft übersetzt. Beispielsweise muss der Gebrauch schnellerer Hardware nicht zu einer höheren persönlichen Arbeitseffizienz führen und der Einsatz von IKT in Organisationen nicht zu geringeren Informationskosten. Dieses âIT productivity paradoxâ ist teilweise durch Rebound-Effekte zu erklären, die aus einer technikzentrierten Perspektive meist übersehen werden. Psychologische, gesundheitliche, soziale und ökonomische Effekte einer höheren technischen Effizienz müssen daher in einer Abschätzung der Technologiefolgen berücksichtigt werden. Eine Prospektivstudie für Pervasive Computing hat gezeigt, dass jenseits von Produktivitätsaspekten auch die Problemfelder Stress (u.a. durch das Gefühl des Ãberwachtwerdens), Freiwilligkeit (Autonomie von Konsumenten oder Patien-ten), unbeherrschbare Komplexität (emergente Eigenschaften der entstehenden Infrastruktur) und Fragen der ökologischen Nachhaltigkeit zu beachten sind.
Abstract: This paper takes the life cycle inventory database ecoinvent as an example of the integration of ERP and environ-mental information systems. A reference model describes the ERP-integrated creation of life cycle assessments based on ecoinvent data. The main challenges to implement the reference model from the viewpoint of ecoinvent are identi-fied and approaches for a solution presented. First, an outline for an ontology enhancing ecoinvent metadata is given to help bridge the so-called semantic gap. Second, the basic web services needed to attach to a service-oriented archi-tecture are described.
Abstract: For quite some years now, there has been a growing debate under the label of âGreen I(C)Tâ about reducing the energy consumption of ICT equipment. More recently, the discourse started to partly shift towards a novel discussion on using ICT to induce energy savings in sectors other than ICT. Advocates suggest that the cumulated potential for ICT-induced savings is several times larger than the entire energy consumption of ICT itself.
Numerous studies on ICT-related energy consumption exist, and also an increasing number of studies looking at ICT-induced energy efficiency. The few studies, however, considering both aspects, typically do so independently, without relating the two aspects. Moreover, in the energy efficiency discourse, ICT is usually treated as a monolithic block of technologies â only the application areas that are expected to benefit from it being differentiated.
In this paper, we make the case that ICT energy consumption and ICTâs potential for inducing energy efficiency can â and should â be related to each other. We further argue that this can only be obtained by decomposing the âICT monolithâ and look at its (naturally heterogeneous) parts separately. Based on a first round of expert interviews, we show that it is possible to qualitatively determine for every single technology subsumed under ICT its potential for inducing energy efficiency. We finally argue that only by consequently following low energy consumption targets for technologies with a low energy efficiency potential, while at the same time not suffocating technologies with a high energy efficiency potential through restrictive consumption targets, the full ICT-related energy saving potential can be unleashed.
Abstract: Informatics can make a relevant contribution to sustainable development, if the effects of ICT applications are systematically assessed from a life-cycle perspective and the results of life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies are taken into account by decision makers. The basic scheme of a product life cycle includes the three phases production, use and end of life. In the production phase, raw materials are transformed into the product. In the use phase, the product delivers the service it has been intended for. After the service life of the product ends, parts of the product may be reused or recycled. The rest leaves the system for final disposal or to be recycled in other product systems. Only if life-cycle thinking is applied both to ICT products and to products influenced by ICT applications, is it possible to decide whether a potential ICT application will have a positive or negative environmental impact on the bottom line. With life-cycle thinking, it will be possible to make substantial steps toward sustainable development. Informatics, and in particular environmental informatics as a specialized sub-discipline of it, can contribute to life-cycle thinking by supporting the modelling and data collection process in LCA studies. In addition, dynamic simulation models are useful in prospective technology assessment where LCA methodology reaches its limits.
Abstract: Economic growth under the condition of limited resources requires innovations for the ma-terials life cycle. Both the global economy and the environment benefit from waste avoidance strategies and technologies for the highly efficient conversion of matter and/or energy. Excel-lence in materials and energy efficiency is also a precondition for combating climate change. The R’07 World Congress is the 8th event in the R’ Congress series which started in 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland, and was repeated in Geneva 1995, 1997 and 1999. After R2000 in To-ronto, Canada, the R ’ Congress was held again in Geneva in 2002 and in Bejing, Peoples Republic of China, in 2005.
Abstract: Economic growth under the condition of limited resources requires innovations for the ma-terials life cycle. Both the global economy and the environment benefit from waste avoidance strategies and technologies for the highly efficient conversion of matter and/or energy. Excel-lence in materials and energy efficiency is also a precondition for combating climate change. The R’07 World Congress is the 8th event in the R’ Congress series which started in 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland, and was repeated in Geneva 1995, 1997 and 1999. After R2000 in To-ronto, Canada, the R ’ Congress was held again in Geneva in 2002 and in Bejing, Peoples Republic of China, in 2005.
Abstract: To assess the potential impact of ICT on environmental sustainability in the European Union within a time horizon until 2020, we developed a System Dynamics model. In our contribution we make a critical, retrospective evaluation of the model with regard to the requirements and expectations of the project commissioners and of experts involved in the modeling and simulation process. The issues addressed are problem adequacy, validity, transparency, communicability and receptivity of the model. We conclude that modeling approaches that better support a modular model design than System Dynamics does would lead to better results regarding these requirements, and that a modeling language based on a more domain-specific ontology than System Dynamics would be needed to create models that are communicable and have an adequate epistemic connectivity to the scientific and political discourse.
Abstract: We describe the application of a simulation model in the domain of dynamic vehicle routing. This model allows for the assessment of optimization potentials in terms of dis-tance, cost and energy savings. Telecommunication between trucks and their central dis-patchers has made it possible to react to short-term orders and traffic disturbances. Therefore it is advantageous to go from a static to a dynamic strategy of vehicle route planning. Then a company must ask how to deal with orders coming in on short notice and what consequences different strategies to handle these orders have on the length of distances driven and the utilization of trucks. Our simulation model is able to answer this question using a sample of the data from one trucking company for its specific situation. All constraints relevant in practice are used in the form of corresponding parameters such as different capacity limits of vehicles, the number of vehicles, driversâ working times, etc. An additional parameter makes it possible to vary hypothetically (0-100%) the per-centage of orders considered âdynamicâ, i.e. the ones that have to be integrated into truck routes that are already proceeding. In this way the relative value of different strategies to solve an instance of the Dynamic Vehicle Routing Problem (DVRP) can be simulated given different dynamic shares. Important output variables include the sum of distances driven, the associated costs for the company and the environmental impact. Our model was used to study a Swiss trucking company as an example. It became apparent that the dynamic share influences the total distance driven very differently depending on the strategy chosen.
Abstract: Sustainable development and the emerging information society are two major visions that characterize the beginning of the 21st century. This article discusses the interrelation between the emerging information society and the goal of sustainability. How can information technology contribute to sustainable development? What are the opportunities and risks of the information society with regard to the goal of sustainability? This work is part of the research programme "Sustainability in the Information Society (SIS)", which is managed by the author and funded by the Council of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology.
Abstract: Vor dem Hintergrund der rasant zunehmenden Verbreitung von Anwendungen der Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) untersucht das Forschungsprojekt mögliche zukünftige Auswirkungen eines massenhaften Einsatzes von RFID-Tags im Konsumgüterbereich auf die Umwelt und die Abfallentsorgung. Der gegenwärtige Einsatz von RFID-Tags stellt die derzeitigen Entsorgungssysteme für Siedlungsabfall zwar vor keine nennenswerten Herausforderungen. Die dynamische Entwicklung der RFID-Märkte kann aber die Entsorgungssysteme in Zukunft vor Probleme stellen, wenn nicht vorsorgend gehandelt wird. Neben der Ermittlung der aktuellen und zukünftig zu erwartenden Mengen eingesetzter RFID-Tags, der Beschreibung derzeitiger Entsorgungswege für RFID-Tags im Siedlungsabfall sowie der Erstellung und Quantifizierung von Zukunftsszenarien zielt das Projekt darauf, Handlungsempfehlungen für einen umweltverträglich optimierten Einsatz von RFID-Tags in Deutschland abzuleiten. Mit diesem Bericht liegt erstmalig eine systematische quantitative Darstellung des zukünftigen Einflusses von RFID-Tags auf die Abfallentsorgung unter enger Einbeziehung der betroffenen Akteure vor. Der Untersuchungsrahmen erstreckt sich auf die Entsorgungssysteme für Siedlungsabfall in Deutschland mit einem Zeithorizont bis 2022. Das Vorhaben fokussiert auf den Eintrag passiver RFID-Tags in den Siedlungsabfall, die insbesondere auf Konsumgüter und deren Verpackungen angebracht sind. Die Eintragspfade Glas-, Papier/Pappe/Karton- und Leichtverpackungs-Getrenntsammlung sowie die Restabfallbehandlung, einschlieÃlich des Eintrags von RFID-Tags in Ersatzbrennstoffe (EBS) und Sekundärbaustoffe werden umfassend analysiert. Bioabfall wird im Rahmen eines Exkurses diskutiert. Das Forschungsprojekt adressiert potenzielle Risiken von RFID-Tags in der Siedlungsabfallentsorgung. Mögliche Chancen zur Verbesserung des Recyclings durch den Einsatz von RFID-Tags, z.B. bei elektrischen und elektronischen Geräten, werden nicht behandelt.
Notes: Umweltforschungsplan des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit; UFOPLAN-Nr. 3707 33 302
Abstract: Despite the fact that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are responsible for only a small part of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions â current estimations attribute around 2 % of man made emissions to ICT â this sector is the one with the fastest growing emissions. As a result, there is an increasing concern about the environmental impact of ICT, especially the climate change potential induced by ICT related energy consumption. At the same time, there is a growing perception that ICT can also substantially reduce the environmental impacts of other sectors, in particular by increasing their energy efficiency. ICT can help all economic sectors to become more energy efficient â since ICT allows existing processes to be optimized or enables entirely new, more energy efficient processes. The energy that could be saved by ICT induced energy efficiency is estimated to be several times larger than the overall energy consumption of ICT itself. The European Commission recognizes this potential and hopes that Europe will go a long way toward achieving its target of 20 % greenhouse gas reduction by 2020 by deploying ICT for energy efficiency. The present study looks at the field spawned by these two main issues at the intersection between ICT and energy: ICTâs own energy consumption and ICTâs potential to induce energy efficiency across the economy. In its approach to these issues, the study looks both at todayâs situation, as well as future opportunities and risks. The study discusses the following research questions: a) estimates of the current energy consumption of ICT, b) prospective future developments in this energy consumption, and c) future energy efficiency potentials induced by ICT in various economic sectors. [...]
Abstract: Pervasive Computing refers to visionary new ways of applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to our daily lives. It involves the miniaturisation and embedding of microelectronics in non-ICT objects and wireless networking, making computers ubiquitous in the world around us. Unlike most of todayâs ICT products, Pervasive Computing components will be equipped with sensors enabling them to collect data from their surroundings without the userâs active intervention. If our daily life is to be pervaded in such ways by microelectronic components, running all the time with most of them wirelessly networked, one must ask whether these technologies might not have undesirable side-effects. The expected benefits need to be weighed against the potential risks involved in implementing such technological visions. When comparing opportunities with risks, we will have to answer the basic question of the ethics of technology: âWhich technologies do we want in our lives, and what kind of a world would that be?â Only a public discourse can provide answers to this question. The purpose of the present study is to make a contribution to such a discourse by striving to present objectively the opportunities and risks of Pervasive Computing. The study focuses on the risks for human health and the environment.
Abstract: The objective of the present study âSecurity Aspects and Prospective Applications of RFID Systemsâ is to give the interested (specialized) public an overview of the technical basics, application potentials and risks of RFID systems. The study´s main focus lies in the prospective analysis of possible threats which result from using RFID systems, including an assessment of the effectiveness of existing security measures. In addition to that, visual aids and a great number of practical examples demonstrate which RFID systems are being used today and which are being tested for the future.
Abstract: The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (part of the Joint Research Centre - European Commission) has commissioned a study entitled âThe Future Impact of ICTs on Environmental Sustainabilityâ, which aims to explore (qualitatively) and to assess (quantitatively) the way that ICTs will influence environmental sustainability between now and 2020. This study is the first quantitative projection to be carried out on how ICTs could affect the environment in the European Union. In order to estimate the effects of ICTs on a set of five environmental indicators, the project team adopted an innovative methodology combining qualitative scenario-building and quantitative modelling. The general conclusion was that ICTs can modify the value of these five indicators. ICTs could improve the situation, reinforcing positive effects in the environment, or they could worsen the situation. This suggests that environmental policies have to be designed to ensure that ICT applications make a beneficial contribution to environmental outcomes, and, at the same time, suppress rebound effects. There are significant opportunities for improving environmental sustainability through ICTs, which can rationalise energy management in housing (or facilities), make passenger and freight transport more efficient, and enable a product-to-service shift across the economy.
Abstract: The objectives of Task 4 âRefinement and Quantificationâ of the study on the future impact of ICT on environmental sustainability are as follows: (i) to refine and quantify the scenarios developed in Task 3 by creating a simulation model of the impact of ICT on environmental sustainability, (ii) to estimate the model parameters based on the data collected in Task 2, on additional literature reviews and expert consultation, (iii) to provide input into Task 5 âEvaluation and Recommendationsâ by identifying the factors that have most influence on the environmental indicators.
Abstract: Pervasive Computing ist eine zukünftige Anwendungsform von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (ICT), die durch Miniaturisierung und Einbettung von Mikroelektronik in andere Objekte sowie ihre Vernetzung und Allgegenwart im Alltag gekennzeichnet ist. Anders als die meisten heutigen ICT-Produkte werden Komponenten
des Pervasive Computing mit Sensoren ausgestattet sein, über die sie ihre Umgebung erfassen, ohne dass der Benutzer dies aktiv veranlasst.
Eine so weitgehende Vision der Durchdringung des Alltags mit mikroelektronischen Komponenten, die immer und überall eingeschaltet und weitgehend drahtlos vernetzt sind, wirft Fragen nach möglichen unerwünschten Nebenfolgen dieser Technologie auf. Den erwarteten Vorteilen sind die teilweise ungeklärten Risiken gegenüberzustellen, die in der Verwirklichung dieser Technologievision liegen. Bei der Abwägung von Chancen und Risiken stellt sich die Grundfrage der Technikethik: âMit welcher Technik wollen wir in welcher Welt leben?â
Diese Frage kann nur im gesellschaftlichen Diskurs beantwortet werden. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, einen sachlichen Beitrag zu diesem Diskurs zu leisten, indem sie mögliche Chancen und Risiken des Pervasive Computing aufzeigt. Dabei liegt der Schwerpunkt auf Risiken für die menschliche Gesundheit und die Umwelt.
Abstract: Immer mehr Alltagshandlungen hinterlassen Daten, die einen Ortsbezug haben. Ob wir mobil telefonieren, auf das Internet zugreifen, von einer Videokamera erfasst werden, ein Foto auf eine Internetplattform hochladen, mit einem Chip eine Tür öffnen oder bargeldlos bezahlen: Im Kontext von Geodaten ausgewertet, lassen diese Datenspuren Rückschlüsse auf unser Identität, unsere Kontakte unsere Lebenssituation und vielleicht auch auf beabsichtigte Handlungen zu.
Der Vortrag gibt einen Einblick in die soeben publizierte Studie des Schweizerischen Zentrums für Technologiefolgenabschätzung (TA-SWISS) über die Chancen und Risiken von Ortungstechnologien. Neben der Satellitenortung durch GPS gibt es mehr als ein Dutzend Technologien, die indirekt die Ortung von Personen zulassen. Welche gesellschaftlichen Chancen und Risiken resultieren aus der Verbreitung dieser Technologien? Wer kann, wer darf unter welchen Bedingungen Ortungsdaten erfassen, speichern, verarbeiten, weitergeben oder löschen? Was können wir tun, um dem Missbrauch von Ortungsdaten vorzubeugen und eine rechtsstaatliche, demokratische Nutzung der Ortungstechnologien zu fördern?
Abstract: Technology Assessment (TA) is a field of study which systematically analyses and evaluates the potential positive and negative impacts of introducing and applying technologies, identifies areas of social conflict created by applications and gives recommendations for improving the technologies and their terms of application (ITAS, n.d.). Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (CIIP) aims to ensure that critical information infrastructures âare less vulnerable to disruptions, any impairment is short in duration and limited in scale, and services are readily restored when disruptions occur.â (Juster and Tritak, 2002, p. 12). This paper presents a TA perspective on issues of CIIP. It shows how risks emerging from critical information infrastructures can be assessed at a very early stage of technological development. The typical TA approach takes a precautionary position here, whereas the CIIP approach tends to be preventive and reactive. The main thesis of this paper is that the two fields can learn from each other: TA studies in the field of ICT can benefit from the CIIP-specific focus on vulnerabilities, and CIIP can benefit from the prospective, scenario-based TA approach which focuses on the interaction between technology and society, providing a comprehensive view of technological risk.
Abstract: The Environmental Informatics community could recently celebrate its 20th anniversary. The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to problems of environmental research and management has made considerable progress and contributes to sustainable development. Moreover, ICT has the potential to virtualize processes that would otherwise consume considerable amounts of material and energy; virtual meetings, for instance, could avoid 97-98% of the CO2 emissions of physical meetings.
The time, space, material and energy needed to provide a unit of ICT service have roughly decreased by a factor of 1000 since the first PC was sold. It seems therefore natural that researchers and industries using ICT in the environmental field ignore the environmental impacts caused by ICT hardware â they are just negligible compared to the environmental benefits that can be realized with the applications.
Paradoxically, it is the progress in ICT hardware efficiency that has made ICT a part of the problem, too. The global mass and energy flows caused throughout the hardware life cycle are increasing due to the wide-spread use of ICT products and their decreasing useful lives. The environ-mental problems caused by the production, use and disposal of ICT hard-ware are solvable in principle; they are not as hard as the discrepancy betweeen â e.g. â growing mobility and CO2 reduction goals. But problems can only be solved if they are not neglected.
Abstract: The challenge of climate change calls for a systematic effort to utilize ICT for CO2 reduction. This paper shows that the effects of ICT applications on CO2 emissions are manifold and demonstrates a systematic approach to deal with this variety. The approach combines a standard life-cycle approach with a classification of ICT effects in first- to third-order effects. It is applied to the fields of ICT application that are discussed in literature as candidate fields for ICT-related CO2 reduction. High reduction potentials are identified in the following fields: data centers, mobile phone networks, electronic waste recycling, intelligent space heating, virtual meetings, and the organization of services where consumption is traditionally linked with product ownership. Finally, current barriers preventing the exploitation of these potentials are discussed.
Abstract: The Precautionary Principle aims to anticipate and minimize potentially serious or irreversible risks under conditions of uncertainty. It has been incorporated into many international treaties and pieces of national legislation for environmental protection and sustainable development. However the precautionary principle has not yet been applied systematically to novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
The results of EMPAâs four-year research program âSustainability in the Information Society", co-funded by the ETH board, suggest that precaution is necessary in the ICT field and show how the general principle of precaution can be put in concrete terms in the context of the information society. In particular, we advocate precautionary measures directed towards pervasive applications of ICTs (Pervasive Computing) because of their large potential impacts on society.
Assessing a technological vision before it has materialized makes it necessary to deal with two types of uncertainty: first, the uncertainty of how fast and to which extent the technology will be taken up and how it will be used; second, the uncertainty of causal models connecting technology-related causes with potential social, health or environmental effects. Due to these uncertainties, quantitative methods to evaluate expected risks are inadequate. Instead, we developed a ârisk filterâ that makes it possible to rank risks according to a set of qualitative criteria based on the Precautionary Principle and on the principle of Sustainable Development.
Abstract: Economic growth under the condition of limited resources requires innovations for the ma-terials life cycle. Both the global economy and the environment benefit from waste avoidance strategies and technologies for the highly efficient conversion of matter and/or energy. Excel-lence in materials and energy efficiency is also a precondition for combating climate change.
The Râ07 World Congress is the 8th event in the Râ Congress series which started in 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland, and was repeated in Geneva 1995, 1997 and 1999. After R2000 in To-ronto, Canada, the R â Congress was held again in Geneva in 2002 and in Bejing, Peoples Republic of China, in 2005.
Abstract: Professor Lorenz Hilty, Leiter der Empa-Abteilung «Technologie und Gesellschaft», erklärt, warum wir mit effizienteren Geräten nicht automatisch umweltfreundlicher werden, warum sich die immense Abhängigkeit der Computer-Hardware von seltenen Metallen noch verschärfen dürfte und weshalb die Sicherheit durch digitale Technologien ein zweischneidiges Schwert ist.
Abstract: Die Menschheit nutzt die natürlichen Ressourcen immer intensiver. Die Folgen davon
sind heute schon spürbar. Und sie könnten sich in den kommenden Jahren noch weiter akzentuieren.
