If digitalisation is to lead to a more sustainable future for Germany, universities, businesses and local communities all have a role to play
During a digital roundtable titled ¡°Eco-innovation: how green technology is powering a sustainable recovery in Germany¡± ?¨C held by Times Higher Education in partnership with Huawei ¨C environmental experts from academia and industry came together to discuss the country¡¯s sustainable initiatives.
The collective message concerned digitalisation and how this could be leveraged to deliver a far-reaching ecological transformation of the economy and society.?
Stephan Ramesohl, co-head of the digital transformation research unit at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, opened the discussion by admitting that sustainable transformation is not ¡°merely a question of recovery¡±. Instead, as humanity enters the most decisive decade in its history, it must think and act fundamentally differently.
¡°Of course, digital technology has a role to play, including developments like 5G, big data and AI, but these will only have an impact if they lead to socioeconomic shifts,¡± Ramesohl said. ¡°Green tech matters, but it must be embedded into a sustainable digital transformation agenda.¡±
Miranda Schreurs, chair of environmental and climate policy at the Technical University of Munich, spoke about the role higher education institutions can play in driving eco-innovation in Germany. ¡°If you look at German Environment Agency reports from 2012, it is clear that, as a country, we are exceeding some of our green tech targets,¡± she explained. ¡°Technical universities are contributing to this trend through public-private partnerships and the development of research on emerging technologies like geothermal energy and hydrogen fuel.¡±
The panel also discussed the impact that material science can have on sustainability. ¡°We need to develop better materials faster,¡± Oliver Kraft, vice-president for research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology noted. ¡°We must also come up with better ways to recycle and remanufacture. Digitalisation, including Industry 4.0, will play a massive role in choosing how to treat each material in the most efficient manner.¡±
David Wang, a chief representative at Huawei, added that sustainable innovation is increasingly being demanded by customers. ¡°Customer demand is certainly driving our sustainable R&D efforts, but Huawei can only do so much,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s why we are partnering with international organisations, different communities and universities.¡±
¡°In terms of Germany¡¯s climate targets, we are moving from a focus on developing renewable energies to a major push on AI, digitalisation and creating new materials,¡± Schreurs commented. ¡°But I think we also need a new mindset ¨C one with far more interdisciplinarity. We are moving to a post-industrial era, an era with new approaches to education that bring sustainability to the teaching of all disciplines.¡±
This interdisciplinarity will present challenges, however. ¡°Even if we just look at the urban environment, most buildings have not been designed with sustainability in mind,¡± Ramesohl explained. ¡°In a decarbonised world, we will still need to satisfy our needs with services, which will present a challenge and fundamentally change how our cities look.¡±
Another challenge emerges when the cost of some sustainability initiatives is considered. ¡°Our customers will not choose the sustainable option if it is more expensive,¡± Wang admitted. It¡¯s a sentiment that Oliver Kraft echoed from a business perspective. ¡°We need to think about projects where the ROI behind sustainable initiatives are better,¡± Kraft said.
Schreurs concluded the roundtable by mentioning how international collaboration would be key to delivering more sustainability ¨C both in Germany and the wider world. ¡°Firstly, regulation can really make a difference,¡± she said. ¡°We need more work on establishing joint global goals. In addition, green financing, green value chains and carbon pricing are all initiatives that can bring countries together. And finally, it¡¯s worth remembering that a lot of the planet is still without reliable access to energy. We need to help these nations develop while ensuring that they don¡¯t make the same mistakes we did.¡±
The panel:
- Oliver Kraft, vice-president for research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Alistair Lawrence, special projects editor, Times Higher Education (chair)
- Stephan Ramesohl, co-head of the digital transformation research unit, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
- Miranda Schreurs, chair of environmental and climate policy, Technical University of Munich
- David Wang, chief representative, Huawei
?about Huawei and higher education.
