Digital Ecological Citizenship for Sustainability

The research paper argues that Ecological Citizenship (EC)—integrating ecological accountability and civic responsibility—should be central to creating a sustainable digital society. Through three case studies, the authors demonstrate that EC principles like stewardship and environmental justice can be applied to concrete scenarios. They recommend integrating EC into digital governance via lifecycle assessments, policy incentives, and public participation, while highlighting the education sector as the primary vehicle for long-term cultural change.

• Ecological citizenship (EC), defined as a combination of ecological accountability and civic responsibility, is proposed as a central framework for developing a sustainable digital society and mitigating the environmental impacts of digitization.
• Analysis of three case studies indicates that EC principles—specifically participation, stewardship, accountability, and environmental justice—are applicable in practical, context-specific scenarios to enhance planetary and human wellbeing.
• The authors suggest integrating EC into digital governance through mandated reporting mechanisms involving lifecycle assessments for technologies, policy incentives for sustainable practices, and increased public participation in governance and technology investments. They further state that the education sector is the most effective way to foster these values long-term.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2025). Digital Ecological Citizenship for Sustainability. https://www.sei.org/publications/digital-ecological-citizenship-sustainability/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Digital Ecological Citizenship for Sustainability. 2025. https://www.sei.org/publications/digital-ecological-citizenship-sustainability/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Digital Ecological Citizenship for Sustainability |date=2 October 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/digital-ecological-citizenship-sustainability/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2025digital, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Digital Ecological Citizenship for Sustainability}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/digital-ecological-citizenship-sustainability/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }