Öko-Institut e.V. (oeko.de)

In Focus

Data: a precious resource

Regulation and sustainability

Some say it’s the new oil; for others, it’s the new water. Others describe it as quite simply the most important resource for the 21st century. In our digitalised society, data has immense value. The European Commission estimated the value of the data economy for the EU alone at €272 billion in 2015. But to a very large extent, data also means power – so the question of how data may be lawfully collected and utilised is of crucial importance. Data governance is advancing – the… more

Data: a precious resource

Behind the screens

Energy and resource demand for digitalisation

It could be the saviour of sustainability – a great opportunity to conserve energy and resources: in the power sector, through the balancing of production and consumption; in transport, through a networked infrastructure and vehicle-sharing; and in industry, through smart and efficient manufacturing processes. Where sustainability is concerned, however, digitalisation has its downsides – by increasing energy and resource use, for example. Not only do digital technologies… more

Behind the screens

[Translate to Englisch:] Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel (WBGU)

“The focus is on increasing consumption, profits and productivity.”

Interview with Professor Maja Göpel (WBGU)

The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) was set up in 1992 as an independent scientific advisory body on global environmental and development issues. WBGU’s remit is to make recommendations for action and research and to draw attention to new problem areas. One of the issues that it has addressed is digitalisation, where it has developed the concept of a digitalised sustainability society. We talked to Professor Maja Göpel, a political economist and WBGU’s… more

“The focus is on increasing consumption, profits and productivity.”