ICTs And The Environmen Flashcards
Optimistic assessment
Effects are positive
Information distinct from material and energy
Information substitutes material resource
Liberalizing from the messiness of material goods and services
Pessimistic assessment
Support unsustainable product and consumption
Many negative environmental impacts
High turnover of devices
Less expensive to replace then renew
Direct effects
Usually negative
Production, use, and disposal of ICTs
Manufacture - air emissions, water, wastes, Ecological damage, Global supply chains
Use - uses lots of energy, residential use growing
Disposal - metals and other toxic materials, recycling EU circular economy
Indirect effects
Expected to be largely positive
Increase efficiency of production process (improves productivity)
-US energy growth lower then GDP growth
-can simulate complex process systems
Products and services dematerialized
Monitor and detect and model environmental change
Reduce amount of material to build things
Print- lately online
Audio/ photo/ video - online
Transportation - plan and schedule more efficient but more demands now
Better supply chain efficiency (but demand for high speed in time delivery)
Retail- more shopping online
More working from home
Neg- falling prices for resource inputs
Structural change and resource use
Both pos and negative
Pos
- shift from industrial to service economies (dematerialization)
- lower levels of resource and energy use
- Information and behaviour change (ecological transparency and people held accountable for environmental impacts
Neg
- could be offset by rebound effect (the cheaper more efficient the more people will buy)
- incremental improvements so economies are still materializing (more material intensive)
Rebound effect
Falling prices and increased capacity
Producers of material will try to innovate and create more
ICT provide scope for new demands
Rematerialization is one click away from the web
Fast innovation cycle
Increase in products due to the increased efficiency and production
