In the post-Covid 19 recovery, it is important to make sure that whatever policies and investments are made, they are equitable and conducive to the systemic transformations necessary to transition to a more sustainable world. Key transformations include: advancement in human capacity through improvement in education and healthcare; responsible consumption and production; decarbonisation of energy; access to nutritional food and clean water for all; building smart cities; and digitalisation. Digitalisation is an essential enabler of transformation, and it needs to be carefully driven to maximise its benefits. Digitalisation is not a blessing in itself, as it can exacerbate social divides, compound environmental risks and destabilise societies. On the other hand, digitalisation can fast-track the green economy by connecting people around the world and encouraging a culture of global cooperation. To denote the intricate relationship between digitalisation and sustainability, the Bonn Alliance for Sustainability Research and Innovation Campus Bonn (ICB) have coined the noun “digitainability”. They have also set up a project that investigates possible positive and negative impacts of the rapid progress in digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) on sustainable development. Digitalisation creates great social change and, as such, it has to be sustainable, fair and relevant to all people. It must work for the common good. Digitalisation will have impacts — some of them helpful, others harmful — on every sustainable development goal (SDG) of the United Nations. Integrated well, the two megatrends of digitalisation and sustainability could help positively shape the 21st century. They might create a model of human prosperity that may recouple economic growth and social progress.

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The Edge Market