One world, one health : harnessing the digital economy for global health

This policy brief proposes a transformative approach to global health based on the One Health (OH) concept, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. The policy brief advocates leveraging digital tools under the concept of One Digital Health (ODH), arguing for a paradigm shift beyond traditional healthcare. However, challenges such as the digital divide, risks from datafication, and environmental impacts of frontier technologies pose obstacles. The policy brief introduces One Digital Health One World (ODHOW), a global framework that promotes digital infrastructure collaboration, communication, responsible data sharing, and digital technology deployment. ODH's potential lies in its ability to activate intersectoral collaboration to tackle current challenges, but concerted efforts are needed to bridge the digital divide, address ethical risks, and ensure sustainable digital transformation. The policy brief recommends collaboration through multistakeholder ecosystem partnerships as a promising path to sustainable digital transformation for people, animals, and the planet

Addressing the climate gap in digital technologies

Published online: 20 November 2023Key points • The critical issue of climate impacts has been largely overlooked in global discussions concerning the digital economy. • Cryptocurrency, in particular, is associated with staggering energy use statistics. In an average year, Bitcoin consumes more energy than Finland. • Difficulties regulating digital energy use stem from the non-centralised, possibly anonymised and/or non-proprietary structures and global nature of many digital operations. • Digital platforms have information about the usage of digital services that, if shared with policymakers and researchers, could facilitate the development of sustainable solutions for digital value chains and beyond • Policymakers must act to bridge sustainability policy and digital policy initiatives and ensure that policies reduce the environmental footprint stemming from life-cycle effects of digital technologies. • A key plank of such policy coordination should be the strengthening and mainstreaming of a principle of data minimization

Addressing the climate gap in digital technologies

The critical issue of climate impacts has been largely overlooked in global discussions concerning the digital economy.Cryptocurrency, in particular, is associated with staggering energy use statistics. In an average year, Bitcoin consumes more energy than Finland.Difficulties regulating digital energy use stem from the non-centralised, possibly anonymised and/or non-proprietary structures and global nature of many digital operations.Digital platforms have information about the usage of digital services that, if shared with policymakers and researchers, could facilitate the development of sustainable solutions for digital value chains and beyond.Policymakers must act to bridge sustainability policy and digital policy initiatives and ensure that policies reduce the environmental footprint stemming from life-cycle effects of digital technologies.A key plank of such policy coordination should be the strengthening and mainstreaming of a principle of data minimization.</p