Understanding digitalization’s environmental impact: why LCA is essential for informed decision-making

Hannes Bluhm*, Daniela Wohlschlager, Johanna Pohl, Severin Beucker, Jan Bieser, Daniel Schien, Kelly Widdicks, Adrian Friday, Gordon Blair

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

Abstract

This comment critiques Gritsenko et al.‘s dismissal of environmental assessments such as Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) in analyzing digitalization’s environmental impacts. While acknowledging the need for action amidst uncertainty, we argue that LCA yet provides valuable insights into potential impacts, trade-offs, and areas to focus on in a supply chain. Especially in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, LCA helps manage decision-makers’ uncertainty and informs targeted measures for sustainable digital infrastructure deployment and use.
Original languageEnglish
Article number41
Number of pages3
Journalnpj Climate Action
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Apr 2025

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