Climate impacts of digital use supply chains
Information and communications technology (ICT) has become an indispensable part of our lives. Prior research on climate impact of ICT devices and services mostly makes use of life cycle assessment and energy modeling frameworks focused on embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Because these persp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Climate |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad22eb |
| _version_ | 1797276990927011840 |
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| author | Lin Shi Adam Brandt Dan Iancu Katharine J Mach Chris Field Mu-Jung Cho Michelle Ng Kyung Jin (Sarah) Chey Nilam Ram Thomas Robinson Byron Reeves |
| author_facet | Lin Shi Adam Brandt Dan Iancu Katharine J Mach Chris Field Mu-Jung Cho Michelle Ng Kyung Jin (Sarah) Chey Nilam Ram Thomas Robinson Byron Reeves |
| author_sort | Lin Shi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Information and communications technology (ICT) has become an indispensable part of our lives. Prior research on climate impact of ICT devices and services mostly makes use of life cycle assessment and energy modeling frameworks focused on embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Because these perspectives emphasize the GHGs emissions associated with the construction and distribution of digital devices along production supply chains, not much is known about the GHGs emissions monitored or facilitated by digital device use. In this study, we propose the concept of digital use supply chains (DUSCs) as an orthogonal dimension of digital devices’ life cycle. DUSC refers to the production activities and resource consumption recorded by digital devices. We propose a framework to conceptualize and quantify digital behavior-related GHGs emissions through use of the Screenomics paradigm, where users’ digital screen data are unobtrusively collected moment-by-moment. Through Screenomics’ granular recording of users’ digital behavior, we evaluate behavior-based GHGs emissions traced by the digital devices. DUSC connects individual’s digital behaviors to their global climate change impact, contributing to a more nuanced and complete evaluation of the climate impacts of the digital economy. Our single-case study indicates the estimated scale of the GHGs emissions linked to a user’s one-day digital activities could be three orders of magnitude (1000 times) higher than the emissions associated with the device life cycle alone. DUSC could enable climate change mitigation at a meaningful, actionable level through personalized educational or behavior change programs, and also facilitate novel data-driven feedback loops that may provide digital device users with insights into their personal climate impacts. Recognition and future study of DUSC could accelerate the quantification and standardization of a ‘carbon handprint’ of digital devices and create positive climate impacts from digital products and services. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:41:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ca03b19da9545ea959f2512540ee0bf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2752-5295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:41:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Climate |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ca03b19da9545ea959f2512540ee0bf2024-03-05T08:56:14ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Climate2752-52952024-01-013101500910.1088/2752-5295/ad22ebClimate impacts of digital use supply chainsLin Shi0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9324-3586Adam Brandt1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2528-1473Dan Iancu2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9890-0928Katharine J Mach3Chris Field4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1684-8247Mu-Jung Cho5Michelle Ng6Kyung Jin (Sarah) Chey7Nilam Ram8Thomas Robinson9Byron Reeves10Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaEnergy Science Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaGraduate School of Business, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami , Miami, FL, United States of America; Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of Miami , Coral Gables, FL, United States of AmericaStanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaResearch Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica , Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Communication, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Communication, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Communication, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaDepartments of Pediatrics and of Medicine, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Communication, Stanford University , Stanford, CA, United States of AmericaInformation and communications technology (ICT) has become an indispensable part of our lives. Prior research on climate impact of ICT devices and services mostly makes use of life cycle assessment and energy modeling frameworks focused on embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Because these perspectives emphasize the GHGs emissions associated with the construction and distribution of digital devices along production supply chains, not much is known about the GHGs emissions monitored or facilitated by digital device use. In this study, we propose the concept of digital use supply chains (DUSCs) as an orthogonal dimension of digital devices’ life cycle. DUSC refers to the production activities and resource consumption recorded by digital devices. We propose a framework to conceptualize and quantify digital behavior-related GHGs emissions through use of the Screenomics paradigm, where users’ digital screen data are unobtrusively collected moment-by-moment. Through Screenomics’ granular recording of users’ digital behavior, we evaluate behavior-based GHGs emissions traced by the digital devices. DUSC connects individual’s digital behaviors to their global climate change impact, contributing to a more nuanced and complete evaluation of the climate impacts of the digital economy. Our single-case study indicates the estimated scale of the GHGs emissions linked to a user’s one-day digital activities could be three orders of magnitude (1000 times) higher than the emissions associated with the device life cycle alone. DUSC could enable climate change mitigation at a meaningful, actionable level through personalized educational or behavior change programs, and also facilitate novel data-driven feedback loops that may provide digital device users with insights into their personal climate impacts. Recognition and future study of DUSC could accelerate the quantification and standardization of a ‘carbon handprint’ of digital devices and create positive climate impacts from digital products and services.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad22ebsustainable production and consumptioninformation and communications technologylife cycle assessmentuser behaviorenergyclimate mitigation |
| spellingShingle | Lin Shi Adam Brandt Dan Iancu Katharine J Mach Chris Field Mu-Jung Cho Michelle Ng Kyung Jin (Sarah) Chey Nilam Ram Thomas Robinson Byron Reeves Climate impacts of digital use supply chains Environmental Research: Climate sustainable production and consumption information and communications technology life cycle assessment user behavior energy climate mitigation |
| title | Climate impacts of digital use supply chains |
| title_full | Climate impacts of digital use supply chains |
| title_fullStr | Climate impacts of digital use supply chains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate impacts of digital use supply chains |
| title_short | Climate impacts of digital use supply chains |
| title_sort | climate impacts of digital use supply chains |
| topic | sustainable production and consumption information and communications technology life cycle assessment user behavior energy climate mitigation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad22eb |
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