Sustainable Digitalisation in Europe

Digitalisation in Europe is in full swing and increasingly of strategic importance for the European project. According to the European Commission “the twin challenge of a green and digital transformation has to go hand-in-hand”. This conference will engage in the interdisciplinary space where digitalisation and sustainability intersect in Europe. The conference will bring together academics, policymakers, business leaders and civil society to upgrade our canon of conception, approaches and narratives on sustainable digitalisation.

Twin-challenge of a green and digital transformation

The objective of this conference is to explore from a multi-disciplinary perspective the theory and practice of meeting the twin-challenge of a green and digital transformation. Cloud computing’s energy consumption is steadily growing making the case for its very own sustainability ever more pressing. Putting sustainable data infrastructures central, this conference seeks to address four themes:

The European Green Deal in European digital transformation

Data Centers at the Crossroads: A dialogue on digitalisation and sustainability

Civic participation and contestation of data infrastructures

Digital sustainability through the lens of energy-value trade-offs

Program

On March 21, the conference start (13:00 CET) with two panels, the first of which is focusing on the European green deal in digital transformation. The panel is chaired by Dr. Kristina Irion (University of Amsterdam), and includes the following speakers: Manuel Mateo Goyet (European Commission), Nadja Salzborn (German Federal Environmental Agency), Alex de Vries (VU Amsterdam), Corinne Cath (Delft University of Technology).

The second panel is themed: Data Centers at the Crossroads: A Dialogue on Digitalization and Sustainability. Ans Kolk (Amsterdam Business School) will chair. Speakers include: Václav Ocelík (University of Amsterdam), Max Schule (Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance), Erik Barentsen (senior consultant energy efficiency), Irene Niet (Eindhoven University of Technology).

On March 22, the conference continuous (9:00 CET) with a policy dialogue focusing on civic participation and contestation of data infrastructures. Chair is Stefania Milan (University of Amsterdam). Speakers include: Fieke Jansen (University of Amsterdam), Becky Kazansky (University of Amsterdam), Julia Rone (University of Cambridge).

This session is then followed by a panel discussion on digital sustainability through the lens of energy-value trade-offs. The panel is chaired by Ana Oprescu (University of Amsterdam), and speakers include Erik Otovic (University of Rijeka), Vijanti Ramautar (Utrecht University), Chrysa Papagianni (University of Amsterdam), Leon Gommans (University of Amsterdam & KLM).

Find the full programme here.