Welcome to green.net.working.

green.net.working. addresses the importance and interconnection of two megatrends - digitalization and sustainability.

In May 2021, the virtual conference brought together interdisciplinary experts, policy makers and representatives from the private sector as well as from social and civic society from all over the world to discuss an ecologically-sustainable digitalization in an international context.

The participants exchanged ideas in inspiring keynotes, thematic discussion forums and panel sessions. Please find the key take aways and recommendations in the documentation below. 

Please find further information on the agenda of the conference and partaking speakers below. The information displayed on these websites will constantly be updated in advance to the event.

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What green.net.working. is about:

Ecologically Sustainable Digitalization in an International Context

Digitalization and increased appreciation of the need to move towards more sustainable development within our planetary boundaries are the two main drivers of the comprehensive transformations which economies and societies worldwide will undergo in the decades ahead and are, in part, already undergoing. Each driver needs to make use of the dynamics triggered by the other in order to enhance their combined positive impact for more sustainable human development.

Many countries are beginning to understand the need for guiding digital transformation to support economic development and rising competitiveness in global markets as well as to address data security concerns of their citizens. However, there is still a lack of in-depth policy dialogue about, and understanding of, the positive and negative environmental impacts of widespread digitalization. Digitalization provides new opportunities for development that is more environmentally-friendly, resource-efficient and inclusive. At the same time, if not guided appropriately, it could consume ever higher amounts of energy (already commensurate with aviation) and raw materials (due to increasingly short-lived devices), intensify unsustainable consumption patterns, increase e-waste and lead to markets controlled by a few powerful players. With the boost to digitalization resulting from the Covid-19 crisis, these trends have further worsened. Too often, challenges and opportunities linked to both transformation drivers – digitalization and sustainable development – are discussed within separate communities and often in national forums that neglect the globalized context (including the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda) in which they occur.

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