On 14-15 May 2025, Felippa Amanta attended Towards Sustainable Digital Futures Symposium hosted by the Digital Good Network at the University of Sheffield. The two-day symposium brought an interdisciplinary group of researchers all focused on exploring the possibilities of environmental and social sustainability in an increasingly digital world. The discussions challenged the techno-optimism about digitalisation as solutions to climate change by exploring the risks of reliance to technological solutions and the broader negative indirect and systemic effects digitalisation can bring to our everyday life.
In Felippa’s contribution, she presented a work-in-progress on policy initiatives that might help embed environmental sustainability in the digital economy and mitigate potential rebound effects. She argued that policy interventions are essential for a sustainable digital future. The policy approach must be proactive, coordinated, and comprehensive, including initiatives from digital policy, environmental policy, and sectoral policy that can range from soft-touch policies to command/control policies.
Access the slides here.