Collective project [2/3]
Activity: Continuing collective project (2h)
After being given instructions, each group works on its assignment
Project goal
This project aims to develop your understanding of environmental policy planning in the context of the deployment of digital infrastructures and technologies. Throughout the course of the project, your focus will be on a specific city. First, you will be assigned a data centre to analyse the environmental challenges of its deployment (session 4). Then, you will be given a technology (e.g. smart meters, car-sharing, etc.) that you will need to analyse its direct and indirect environmental consequences (session 10). Each group will present their work during session 12.
Session goal
Make an assessment of direct and indirect environmental effects of the digital technology assigned to your groupe by the teacher.
Role
You are civil servants being asked to deliver a recommendation for the city council and the mayor. Your analysis will help the city refuse, transform or accept the deployment of a given technology.
During session 4 you drew up an initial analysis of the environmental and climate risks and transition policies in your assigned city. Now you have to carry out an analysis of the direct and indirect environmental effects of a given digital technology in the same city.
Instructions for the collective project
- Stay in the same group as session 4
- Each group keep the same city
- Assess known direct environmental effects of the assigned digital technology (orders of magnitude are sufficient)
- Assess indirect environmental effects of the assigned digital technology using a consequence tree seen in session 9
- Assess the potential evolution of the digital technology (today (2020) to 2050)
- Write a summary of your findings
Information / data to look for
- Scientific literature (using right keywords in search engine such as Semantic Scholar or equivalent)
- External analysis from consultancy groups, NGOs, etc.
- Industry reports
Tips
- The teacher will give to each group a relevant research paper as a starter to constitute a quick literature review
- You can use the consequence tree model seen during session 9 for indrect effects
Deliverable
Your assessment should take the form of a 15 mins presentation that you will deliver next session (session 12).
Evaluation grid
| Criteria | Point |
|---|---|
| The most relevant directs effects have been identified and defined | 4 |
| The most relevant indirects effects have been identified and defined | 4 |
| Quality of causal representation of the effects of technology is present (e.g. consequence tree) | 2 |
| A relevant link has been established between the environmental effect of the technology and the environnmenta challenges of the city. | 3 |
| The students were able to formalise an informed opinion on the relevance of deploying the technology in the city. | 3 |
| Clarity and structure of the presentation | 2 |
| Distribution of speaking time among students | 2 |
| Total | 20 |