Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT
In the realm of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and environmental sustainability research, the prevailing emphasis often leans towards ICT’s role in promoting sustainable development, while the adverse environmental consequences of ICT remain understudied. The objective of this pape...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Telematics and Informatics Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503024000203 |
| _version_ | 1797221681281892352 |
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| author | Gabriel Andy Szalkowski Patrick Mikalef Iwona Maria Windekilde |
| author_facet | Gabriel Andy Szalkowski Patrick Mikalef Iwona Maria Windekilde |
| author_sort | Gabriel Andy Szalkowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the realm of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and environmental sustainability research, the prevailing emphasis often leans towards ICT’s role in promoting sustainable development, while the adverse environmental consequences of ICT remain understudied. The objective of this paper is to address this research gap by performing a systematic analysis of the impacts of ICT and the measures, solutions and policies aimed at mitigating them. The analysis is based on a systematic literature review of a total of 70 papers addressing or proposing solutions to the negative impacts of ICT sourced from the meta-libraries Scopus and Web of Science. Firstly, a descriptive analysis is performed to uncover prevailing trends in related literature. Subsequently, the most commonly used methods for assessing ICT’s environmental impact and the typical mechanisms underlying these impacts are identified. Further comprehensive categorization of the literature provided eight main classes of solutions to the identified impacts. We combine these results into a comprehensive framework. Additionally, an assessment of how the proposed solutions align with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals is provided. The conclusions of this research highlight existing research gaps and propose new research directions while also identifying a set of policy implications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:09:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-25da66fbd56d4525a03eaa54603c8c57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2772-5030 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:09:18Z |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Telematics and Informatics Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-25da66fbd56d4525a03eaa54603c8c572024-04-05T04:41:54ZengElsevierTelematics and Informatics Reports2772-50302024-06-0114100134Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICTGabriel Andy Szalkowski0Patrick Mikalef1Iwona Maria Windekilde2Department of Information Security and Communication Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway; Correspondence to: A-bygg A111, Teknologivegen 22, 2815 Gjøvik, Norway.Department of Computer Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Sælandsvei 9, 7034, Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Information Security and Communication Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NorwayIn the realm of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and environmental sustainability research, the prevailing emphasis often leans towards ICT’s role in promoting sustainable development, while the adverse environmental consequences of ICT remain understudied. The objective of this paper is to address this research gap by performing a systematic analysis of the impacts of ICT and the measures, solutions and policies aimed at mitigating them. The analysis is based on a systematic literature review of a total of 70 papers addressing or proposing solutions to the negative impacts of ICT sourced from the meta-libraries Scopus and Web of Science. Firstly, a descriptive analysis is performed to uncover prevailing trends in related literature. Subsequently, the most commonly used methods for assessing ICT’s environmental impact and the typical mechanisms underlying these impacts are identified. Further comprehensive categorization of the literature provided eight main classes of solutions to the identified impacts. We combine these results into a comprehensive framework. Additionally, an assessment of how the proposed solutions align with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals is provided. The conclusions of this research highlight existing research gaps and propose new research directions while also identifying a set of policy implications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503024000203ICTEnvironmental impactsSustainable Development GoalsE-wasteSustainable ICT |
| spellingShingle | Gabriel Andy Szalkowski Patrick Mikalef Iwona Maria Windekilde Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT Telematics and Informatics Reports ICT Environmental impacts Sustainable Development Goals E-waste Sustainable ICT |
| title | Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT |
| title_full | Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT |
| title_fullStr | Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT |
| title_short | Systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ICT |
| title_sort | systematic literature review on solutions to the negative environmental impacts of ict |
| topic | ICT Environmental impacts Sustainable Development Goals E-waste Sustainable ICT |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503024000203 |
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