The relevance of information and communication technologies for environmental sustainability - A prospective simulation study
Author
Summary, in English
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.
Publishing year
2006
Language
English
Pages
1618-1629
Publication/Series
Environmental Modelling & Software
Volume
21
Issue
11
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Elsevier
Topic
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Keywords
- structural change
- system dynamics
- and simulation
- socio-economic modelling
- information society
- sustainable development
- environmental impact
- information technology
- communication technology
- material intensity
- rebound effect
- prospective technology assessment
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1364-8152