SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ICT INTERPRETED IN A NATURAL SCIENCE CONTEXT

Abstract

Sustainable development (SD) is a political concept with a strong normative component. In this article, we show which implications follow from this normative component if it is interpreted in a natural science context. We conclude that from a natural science point of view, a far-reaching dematerialization of consumption is a necessary condition for SD. We further conclude that information and communication technologies can only support SD if they are applied as enablers of dematerialized (less material-intensive) types of consumption. Macro-level data on consumption shows, however, that average material flows per capita are still increasing. In this problematical situation, we see a need for framework conditions that provide incentives for dematerialization and specialized research on the psychosocial conditions on the basis of which consumption patterns could evolve towards a more dematerialized economy.

Keywords:

• information society
• sustainability
• societal metabolism
• material flow
• dematerialization

Notes

One exception may be the decomposition of SD into three nested aspects (human, social and ecological compatibility, the human individual being viewed as part of society and society as part of the ecosystem) as explained by Isenmann (2008).