Digitalization and Sustainability Transitions

To what extent can digitalization contribute to sustainability transitions? There is an abundance of claims about the promises of digitalization for sustainability, not only in relation to generative AI but also digital platforms and the twin transitions discourse. Yet, the relationship between digitalization and sustainability transitions is undeniably complex and remains underexplored in the sustainability transitions community and beyond.

The purpose of this group is to strengthen collective research about digitalization within the STRN, both by improving connections between researchers within the STRN and creating dialogue in related fields.

The group is exploring topics such as:

· The ambivalent roles of digital technologies, both as enablers and disruptors of sustainability transitions

· The development, adoption, and societal impact of AI-based technologies, including generative AI, in fostering or hindering sustainability goals

· Twin transition policies and frameworks for sustainability governance in an era of rapid digitalization

Our activities include:

· Sessions at the 2025 IST Conference (special session d. Re-thinking Digitalization and Sustainability Transitions: Exploring Synergies, Tensions and Trade-offs)

· Interactive webinars

· Networking and community building To find out more, please join our Google Group at https://groups.google.com/g/strn-digitalization or contact us at strn.digitalization.group@gmail.com. The group is coordinated by Laura Piscicelli (Utrecht University, Netherlands), Darcy Parks (Linköping University, Sweden) and Ricarda Schmidt-Scheele (Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany).