Assessing Indirect Environmental Effects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT): A Systematic Literature Review
| Autor: | Lorenz M. Hilty, Jan C. T. Bieser |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | University of Zurich, Bieser, Jan C T |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Knowledge management
Virtual goods Computer science 10009 Department of Informatics 020209 energy Geography Planning and Development TJ807-830 2105 Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment 02 engineering and technology indirect environmental effects 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law 000 Computer science knowledge & systems TD194-195 01 natural sciences digitalization Renewable energy sources Telecommuting 3305 Geography Planning and Development 2308 Management Monitoring Policy and Law 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Environmental impact assessment GE1-350 information and communication technology Consumer behaviour 0105 earth and related environmental sciences environmental impact assessment Environmental effects of industries and plants Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment business.industry Variety (cybernetics) Media consumption greening through ICT Environmental sciences Systematic review Information and Communications Technology business |
| Zdroj: | Sustainability, Vol 10, Iss 8, p 2662 (2018) |
| Popis: | Indirect environmental effects of information and communication technology (ICT) are those effects of ICT that change patterns of production or consumption in domains other than ICT, or more precisely, the environmental consequences of these changes. Digitalization as the societal process of ICT-driven change has created increasing interest in the indirect environmental effects of this technology. Assessments of indirect effects face various methodological challenges, such as the definition of the system boundary, the definition of a baseline as a reference or the occurrence of rebound effects. Existing studies use various approaches or methods to assess a spectrum of ICT use cases in several application domains. In view of the large number of assessments that have been conducted, the choices made when applying assessment methods, and the variety of ICT use cases in different application domains investigated, we present a systematic literature review of existing assessments of indirect environmental effects of ICT. The review provides a state-of-the-art overview of the methods used in the research field and is intended to support researchers in designing sound assessments which yield significant results. We identified 54 studies in seven main application domains using 15 different assessment approaches. The most common application domains are virtual mobility (e.g., telecommuting), virtual goods (e.g., digital media), and smart transport (e.g., route optimization). Life-cycle assessment, partial footprint, and the “ICT enablement method” are the most common approaches. The major part of the assessments focuses on patterns of production (e.g., production of paper-based books vs. e-books), a smaller part on patterns of consumption (e.g., changes in media consumption). Based on these results, we identify as a research gap the investigation of ICT impacts on consumer behavior, which could, for example, focus on social practices, and account for the dynamic implications of change. Elaborating such an approach could provide valuable insights into ICT’s impact on society and the resulting environmental consequences. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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