Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age

Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit services without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The citation is: Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES). 2022. Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6573509.No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to CODES@UN.ORGDisclaimersThe designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Mention of a commercial company or product in this document does not imply endorsement by the United Nations, collaborating organizations or the authors and contributors. The use of information from this document for publicity or advertising is not permitted. Trademark names and symbols are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement on trademark or copyright laws.The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. We regret any errors or omissions that may have been unwittingly made.© Maps, photos and illustrations as specified.AcknowledgementsThis Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age has been developed through a global consultation and co-design process by the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) as a follow-up to the Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. It represents a synthesis of inputs from the contributors listed in the Annex. 01Digitalization – the use and adoption of digital technologies – is driving massive economic, social and environmental changes. The future of humanity and the health of planet Earth depend to a large extent on how we undergo this digital transformation. We have an opportunity to drive this transformation in a manner that helps build a healthier, safer, cleaner and more equitable future, rather than one of exacerbated environmental degradation, inequality and social division. However, achieving global sustainability is not an inevitable or an obvious outcome of digitalization. Indeed, digital technologies, through their energy and material requirements and influence on consumer demands, have accelerated the exponential rise of the human impact on the natural environment that now threatens the resilience of our ecological systems, alongside worsening societal inequalities and escalating social injustice.1 Digitalization has the potential to help transform society and business models to a more sustainable and equitable world but only if there is a conscious and deliberate effort to steer it in that direction. This Action Plan offers a vision on three systemic shifts needed to achieve this goal together with a set of 9 Impact Initiatives to spark immediate collective action and multi-stakeholder collaboration.Executive Summary 02 03The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES), is an international multi-stakeholder alliance created in March 2021 in response to the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. CODES’ purpose is to advance digital sustainability, understood as the design, development, deployment and regulation of digital technologies to accelerate environmentally and socially sustainable development while mitigating risks and unintended consequences.2 CODES is specifically striving to reorient and prioritize the application of digital technologies to meet the 2030 sustainable development agenda and to achieve the multiple global environmental agreements that have been adopted by UN Member States. Digitalization will be crucial in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. An assessment in 2020 found 70 per cent of 169 targets base-lining the world’s sustainability goals can be positively influenced using digital technology applications.3,4 This requires facilitating collective action that can lead to systemic transformation and to removal of barriers and perverse incentives that undermine the adoption or scaling of digital technologies for sustainability. To date, CODES is the only entity of its scale and credibility to undertake and progress this mandate, and is uniquely positioned to facilitate this work. CODES offers an inclusive trans-national platform backed by the impartiality of the UN, where key global stakeholders across governments, private sector, academia, and civil society conven