part of Citizen Science
Ecological citizenship (EC) combines a sense of ecological accountability with civic responsibility. In this paper, the authors argue that a sense of EC can support – and should be central to – the growth of a sustainable digital society. The concepts of EC offer ways to address the environmental consequences of digitization and ensure that digital innovation benefits society and the planet.
Ecological citizenship could nurture a more sustainable digital society by promoting responsible digital governance, such as the development of technology lifecycle assessments.
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EC principles – such as participation, stewardship, environmental justice and accountability – are more than relevant to the digital age: they can be mobilized in the development of policy, infrastructures, and organizations. To explore how EC is already informing digital activities and their governance, the authors analyzed three case studies:
The analysis of these initiatives revealed that EC is not an idealized abstraction: each case shows that the principles can be applied in concrete, tangible and context-specific scenarios to realize a world where public obligations, private actions and local imagination coalesce to enhance human and planetary wellbeing.
The authors recommended that EC becomes integrated within digital governance frameworks, through measures such as policy incentives for sustainable digital practices, mandated reporting mechanisms which include lifecycle assessments for digital infrastructure and technologies, and the creation of opportunities for people to get involved in digital governance and have a say in technology investments. The authors also emphasized that the education sector is the most durable way to foster EC values and embed them into the long-term culture of a sustainable digital society.
Project / The Ecological Citizen(s) project cultivates trans-disciplinary collaboration and research to enable a digital sustainable society for positive climate action.
Journal article / Explores how ecological citizenship is communicated, understood and implemented by stakeholders, and considers how to promote wider use of the practice.
Journal article / By empowering communities and adopting participatory approaches, citizen science projects generate essential knowledge that informs decision-making processes.
Project / Working to co-create a toolkit with UK-based teachers to deliver practical and investigative projects that integrate citizen science into their lessons.
