Exploring the Environmental Impacts of the Emerging Digital Economy: From Industrial Ecology to Information Ecology (TSE99-H, TSE99-G, TSE99-E)

9985653苏这个项目的目标是开发一个新的概念和分析框架，系统地研究新兴数字经济对环境的影响。需要解决的关键问题是：使用互联网(1)提供基于信息的产品和服务，以能源/物质消耗和废物产生衡量的环境后果是什么？以及(2)促进有形商品和产品的零售？通过扩展以前在工业生态方面的工作，该项目将开发一种信息生态方法，作为将生产和消费要素纳入新经济的指导分析框架。该方法旨在建立工业新陈代谢和信息处理之间的联系。将在公司一级对选定的以因特网为基础的企业进行详细的电子商务生命周期分析。这项研究将增进我们对数字经济的环境后果和权衡的认识。它将提供有关如何利用互联网和电信技术开展业务的见解，以最大限度地减少物质和能源消耗，从而避免对环境的损害。这笔赠款是根据NSF/EPA伙伴关系可持续环境技术征集计划提供的。*

9985653 Sui The goal of this project is to develop a new conceptual and analytical framework to systematically examine the environmental impacts of the emerging digital economy. Key questions to be addressed are: What are the environmental consequences, measured in terms of energy/material consumption and waste production, of using the Internet (1) to deliver information-based products and services? and (2) to facilitate the retailing of tangible goods and products? By extending previous work in industrial ecology, this project will develop an informational ecology approach as the guiding analytic framework to incorporate both production and consumption elements in the new economy. The approach aims to establish links between industrial metabolism and information processing. Detailed life cycle analyses of electronic commerce will be conducted at the company level for selected Internet-based businesses. This research will advance our knowledge of the environmental consequences and trade-offs of the digital economy. It will provide insights into how the Internet and telecommunications technologies can be used to conduct business to minimize material and energy consumption with the goal of avoiding environmental harm. This grant is made pursuant to the NSF/EPA Partnership solicitation Technologies for a Sustainable Environment.***