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The idea that the change to a digital society will simultaneously solve the resource problems of mankind is unfortunately naive and misleading. Virtualisation, storage, data transfer and data utilization not only have a very large CO₂ footprint, but also consume very large amounts of raw materials and energy. Since the digitalisation of society will receive an additional boost with the Corona crisis, a critical discussion of the facts and background is appropriate.
Work in the home office as well as intensive telephone and video conferences currently characterize our everyday life. The Corona crisis in 2020 thus reinforces the already rapidly increasing trend towards digitalisation. An often underestimated side effect is the massive ecological footprint created by virtualisation, storage, data transfer and data use.
This is where our new publication format FERI Cognitive Briefing (available only in German) comes in.
In the current Cognitive Briefing we discuss the question of whether the current exponential path of digitization is compatible with sustainability goals or even - due to increased energy demand and CO2 emissions - will trigger new environmental and resource problems.