What is the Roegen Centre for Sustainability?
The Roegen Centre for Sustainability is all about exploring how digital technologies can be harnessed to save energy and cut emissions across societies, businesses, and entire economies. But here’s the twist—they don’t just look at the obvious impacts of digitalisation. Instead, they dig deeper into the sneaky, subtle, and everywhere rebound effects that often get overlooked. With the climate clock ticking fast, the Centre takes a straightforward, no-nonsense approach. It’s not about sugarcoating or making things sound easy; it’s about reflecting reality, uncovering realistic options, and pushing forward actionable policy recommendations that actually make a difference.
Main Benefit of the Roegen Centre’s Research
Their work offers clear, impactful insights that help shape smarter policies and strategies. Here are some key points that highlight the Centre’s focus:
- Deploying digital technologies to reduce energy use and emissions
- Addressing both the direct environmental footprint of digitalisation and its indirect rebound effects
- Providing realistic, actionable policy recommendations rather than vague promises
- Operating with urgency given the limited time humanity has to tackle the climate crisis
- Focusing on societal, business, and economic scales for broad impact
Understanding the Digital Footprint
Digitalisation is everywhere, right? But what’s often missed is how much energy and emissions it actually consumes—not just from running devices but from the entire infrastructure behind it. The Roegen Centre shines a light on this direct footprint, making sure it’s part of the conversation. But they don’t stop there. They also explore the rebound effects—those tricky, indirect consequences where efficiency gains can sometimes lead to increased overall consumption. It’s a complex puzzle, but one that’s crucial to solve if digital tech is going to help rather than hurt sustainability efforts.
Why Rebound Effects Matter
Rebound effects are like the hidden side of the digital revolution. Imagine saving energy by using a more efficient device, but then using it more often or buying more devices because it’s cheaper or easier. Suddenly, those savings get eaten up. The Centre’s research digs into these patterns, revealing how digitalisation’s benefits can be partially or fully offset by behavioral and systemic changes. Understanding these effects is key to crafting policies that truly reduce emissions rather than just shifting them around.
Approach to Climate Crisis Solutions
The Roegen Centre doesn’t mess around with wishful thinking. Their approach is grounded in reality—no fluff, no appeasement. They focus on what’s actually possible within the tight timeframe humanity has left to address climate change. This means highlighting options that are realistic and actionable, not just idealistic. Their policy recommendations are designed to be practical tools for decision-makers who want to make a real impact, not just tick boxes.
Project Impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
Contact and Location
The Roegen Centre for Sustainability is based in Zürich, Switzerland. For inquiries or further information, they can be reached at contact@roegen.ch. Their work continues to push the boundaries of how digital technologies can be leveraged responsibly to create a more sustainable future—because, honestly, the clock is ticking, and every bit of insight counts.
