The Digital Disruptions for Sustainability (D^2S Agenda)
The D^2S Agenda explores the opportunities and challenges of leveraging the digital age to disrupt the facets of existing economic, governance, and cognitive systems that are maintaining society on a carbon-intensive and increasingly inequitable path. We identify research and innovation opportunities and near-term actions needed to enable society to steer the digital disruptions already underway to drive transformations to a sustainable, climate-safe and equitable world.
A short video to illustrate the underlying premise of the Sustainability in the Digital Age initiative and the D^2S Agenda. Co-produced with ClearPath.
About Digital Disruptions for Sustainability (D^2S Agenda)
RESEARCH. INNOVATION. ACTION.
Two powerful forces are shaping human destiny: global climate change and the digital revolution. Both are human creations that pose systemic risks to society. The changing climate is driving systemic shifts that threaten to destabilize the health and wellbeing of humankind. Big data, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence are rapidly transforming society in ways that pose systemic risks to the global social fabric. But fortunately, the digital age also presents systemic opportunities for driving the large-scale societal transformations needed to build a climate-safe and equitable world.
Digital Disruptions for Sustainability (D^2S Agenda) highlights opportunities and challenges for leveraging the digital revolution to drive transformative systems changes for a sustainable and equitable world. Through focused collaboration among researchers, tech innovators, policy and business leaders, civil society, and citizens, we believe we can steer the digital disruptions already underway towards the climate-safe and equitable world we want.

The four digital disruptors identified in the D^2S Agenda are already driving transformations in social and economic systems. It is unclear where these transformations will lead society. They pose many risks for humanity and the planet. They may also hold the power to help society achieve a sustainable and equitable path to net-zero emissions. But this can only happen if researchers, tech innovators, policy and business leaders, civil society, and citizens collaborate together to consciously steer these digital disruptions to drive transformations to a sustainable, climate-safe, and equitable world.
Ensuring the ability of the disenfranchised to influence the design of the digital disruptions for inclusivity would be a big step in risk mitigation.
Expert Advisory Committee
An international team of diverse experts convened to guide the development of the D^2S Agenda.


Anik Bhaduri
Executive Director, Sustainable Water Future Program; Associate Professor, Griffith University



Owen Gaffney
Global Sustainability Writer and Expert, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)





Lyse Langlois
Professor, Université Laval; Director, International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies (OBVIA)



Mathilde Mougeot
Professor, École Nationale Supérieure d’Informatique pour l’Industrie et l’Entreprise (ENSIIE) & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)




Asunción Lera St. Clair
Senior Advisor, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre - BSC + DNVGL Digital Assurance
