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Carbon Accounting in the Digital Industry: The Need to Move towards Decision Making in Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Gabrielle Samuel

    (Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King’s College London, Strand, London WC2B 4BG, UK)

  • Federica Lucivero

    (Ethox Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK)

  • Bran Knowles

    (School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4WA, UK)

  • Katherine Wright

    (School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4WA, UK)

Abstract

In this paper, we present findings from a qualitative interview study, which highlights the difficulties and challenges with quantifying carbon emissions and discusses how to move productively through these challenges by drawing insights from studies of deep uncertainty. Our research study focuses on the digital sector and was governed by the following research question: how do practitioners researching, working, or immersed in the broad area of sustainable digitisation (researchers, industry, NGOs, and policy representatives) understand and engage with quantifying carbon? Our findings show how stakeholders struggled to measure carbon emissions across complex systems, the lack of standardisation to assist with this, and how these challenges led stakeholders to call for more data to address this uncertainty. We argue that these calls for more data obscure the fact that there will always be uncertainty, and that we must learn to govern from within it.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabrielle Samuel & Federica Lucivero & Bran Knowles & Katherine Wright, 2024. "Carbon Accounting in the Digital Industry: The Need to Move towards Decision Making in Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2017-:d:1348694
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel J.C. Skinner & Sophie A. Rocks & Simon J.T. Pollard, 2014. "A review of uncertainty in environmental risk: characterising potential natures, locations and levels," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 195-219, February.
    2. Adriana Grigorescu & Ionela Munteanu & Catalin-Daniel Dumitrica & Cristina Lincaru, 2023. "Development of a Green Competency Matrix Based on Civil Servants’ Perception of Sustainable Development Expertise," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Gillian Maree Vesty & Abby Telgenkamp & Philip J Roscoe, 2015. "Creating numbers: carbon and capital investment," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(3), pages 302-324, March.
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