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

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

NORA

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

Bluhm, Hannes; Wohlschlager, Daniela; Pohl, Johanna; Beucker, Severin; Bieser, Jan; Schien, Daniel; Widdicks, Kelly ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3502-9172; Friday, Adrian; Blair, Gordon Shaw ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6212-1906. 2025 Understanding digitalization’s environmental impact: why LCA is essential for informed decision-making [Comment]. npj Climate Action, 4 (1), 41. 3, pp. 10.1038/s44168-025-00246-1

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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.

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