This week, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli, hereafter 'Council') handed the advice 'Digitally Sustainable' to State Secretary van Veldhoven. According to the Council, the physical living environment and the digital world are inextricably linked, but this is not yet reflected in policy related to both transitions. The digital world is insufficiently taken into account in sustainability, and vice versa. The central question is how these developments can reinforce each other rather than counteract each other, and what role the government should play in this.
Written by Louisa Bergsma (editors Climate Web)
Pieter Hooimeijer (professor of social geography and demography at the University of Utrecht) has been a member of the Council for two terms and chairman of the committee that prepared the opinion and further explains the opinion. He argues for more government intervention in the digital economy. Sustainability, like privacy, for example, should become a public value to which digital platforms should adhere. "Climate is the next crisis that awaits us. The government has to act. And so why would you put a huge hole in regulation by having all kinds of rules for the physical domain, but just leave the digital domain that is directly connected to it free? That's completely illogical."
The main message of the advice is that digitization is necessary to achieve a sustainable society, and that this requires government control of the digital economy. Whether the role of government in the digital service society should then be as great as in the physical environment? Hooimeijer: "We are not saying that the government should do everything. We are saying that the government can effectively steer toward desired outcomes through the digital environment. Which might mean that you need less steering in the physical environment. After all, a lot of all transactions come together on platforms. So you can choose to regulate 300 parties or you can choose to regulate the platform where those transactions come together. That can be a much more efficient and effective form of government regulation than what we do now. In the digital economy, you have to get there in time. Construction is an example of a sector where a lot is regulated within companies, but hardly anything between companies. As a government, you could have an initiating role there."
The government has been working on digitization for some time, but far from successfully. The temporary Digital Future committee has been defunct, but Hooimeijer hopes that it will regain a place in the House of Representatives after the formation. With a more sustainable character this time. "When it comes to digitization, the House does not talk enough about long-term developments. Digitalization is often dismissed as complicated and technological. If you don't understand it, you are not allowed to participate. That seems to me to be a misconception."
The advice advocates not only more technological knowledge among civil servants and governments, but especially more knowledge about the development of the digital economy. According to Hooimeijer, although technology has become more accessible, people have less of an understanding of how market processes work, how platforms develop and why it is almost natural for monopolies to emerge. "While almost everyone is confronted with that."
Hooimeijer does not dispute that government digitization projects do not always run smoothly. That is why, he says, the Rli advocates developing standards. "This advice is part of a much broader theme. Namely the digital government driven by public values. Our angle is that you should not leave this to the government alone, but rather use the expertise and interests of actors in the field, market players and citizens. Through those standards, digital platforms can then serve as a kind of middle layer, where you can regulate access and agree on the rules together.
So we say 'do it together,' rather than 'let the government digitize.'"
The opinion talks about government interference, behavioral control, data and algorithms. While all of these techniques can benefit sustainability, if properly deployed, not everyone will get excited when hearing these terms. Do privacy and sustainability go hand in hand in the digital world?
"The government is willing and able to intervene in digital platforms around privacy. In steering or regulating platforms, sustainability is not yet such a public value. While of course you can ask what is more important to people now; that their privacy is safeguarded, or that one is safeguarded against the effects of climate change? When it comes to sustainability, people suddenly wonder if the government is allowed to steer. Yes of course it is allowed to steer! There is a very clear public value at stake."
Because the government must adhere to all public values, i.e. both privacy and sustainability in this case, interference is actually an advantage, according to Hooimeijer. "The government must adhere to certain conditions: regulation must be done in a transparent way. For example, regulations can be made that shield data from parties, but allow that same data to be used for sustainability."
One example is the ILT's monitoring of chemical activity. Now the ILT visits chemical companies to measure emissions. But why shouldn't the much more precise data that companies themselves have be shared with the government for this purpose? "There are all kinds of opportunities to digitize and share data in a responsible way, instead of leaving that to a few Big Tech companies who also gain a competitive advantage by doing so."
The reason that the opinion is coming out now is that there is now momentum within Europe on this topic. The AVG is in effect, the Digital Service Act is in the consultation phase, and Europe has put greening and sustainability on its agenda as a "twin challenge.
"Analyzing, we came to the conclusion that if you really want to move to regulation you will then need a European regulation. But that is a long process. Our advice is therefore to start a trajectory that includes the sustainability component as a public value in the regulation of the digital world. The Netherlands wants to play a pioneering role in Europe, now is the time. We hope everyone sees the broad urgency of this issue and therefore call very specifically not to wait, but to start the process of regulation now."
The opinion asks and expects a lot from the government. What does Hooimeijer expect to happen after it is handed down?
"Ultimately, of course, politics is about this. That is why we also advise the Lower House in particular; that is ultimately where the consideration of public values lies. We say: you already recognize sustainability as a public value in the physical domain, recognize that public value also in the digital domain. We signed the Paris climate agreement. We had a climate table with all kinds of implementation measures. Apparently, sustainability is high on the agenda. We are giving the government a handle with which to show a field where there are still new opportunities in that area. Furthermore, of course, what we propose is something very political, so ultimately it is up to the House of Representatives."
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Read the full opinion Sustainable Digital here
