Digital continues to be perceived as an intangible economy. But behind servers, clouds and artificial intelligence moves a supply chain that consumes energy, water and raw materials in increasing quantities. The Pontifical Academy of Theology (PATH) is intervening on this issue, promoting an Observatory dedicated to the environmental impact of digital technologies.
The official presentation is scheduled for May 18 in the Marconi Hall of Palazzo Pio, the Vatican’s media headquarters, on the heels of the anniversary of the encyclical Laudato si’. Under observation end up data centers, digital platforms, energy consumption and e-waste.
Useful but not neutral technology
The Observatory was not born from a technophobic position. Digital technologies can reduce waste and consumption: smart power grids, precision agriculture, predictive systems for water resource management, satellite environmental monitoring. Artificial intelligence is already being used to optimize energy flows and limit leakage in networks.
The question, however, is to measure the real balance of this transformation: how much energy does it take to support the expansion of artificial intelligence, cloud services and global networks? And what environmental impact does the necessary infrastructure produce?
According to the International Energy Agency, data centers and transmission networks already account for a large share of global electricity consumption, while AI-related energy demand is set to grow rapidly in the coming years. Added to this is the crux of e-waste: millions of tons of discarded devices each year, often illegally exported to poor countries where they are dismantled without environmental or health protections.
The problem of waste
The choice to present the initiative during the days of Pope Leo XIV ‘s visit to Acerra carries specific weight. The Terra dei Fuochi remains one of the European symbols of illegal waste disposal and the health consequences of environmental pollution. The reference is also to the global technological chain: extraction of raw materials, disposal of devices, increased energy consumption. A chain that is often little visible in public debate.
Among the issues addressed by the Observatory appear the social consequences of technologies: digital addictions, impoverishment of relationships, impact on young people, concentration of economic power in the hands of a few global platforms. An issue that rarely enters the environmental debate but directly affects the development model.
Pressure on tech giants
PATH President Antonio Staglianò summed up the meaning of the initiative in stark words, “There can be no true peace without technology that respects people, relationships and creation.” A passage that moves the discourse beyond individual morality and calls into question the responsibilities of large technology companies.
In recent years, the technology sector has built much of its reputation on the idea of sustainable innovation. But the growth of artificial intelligence and advanced computing systems is increasing global demand for electricity, while many governments continue to promise increasingly ambitious climate goals.
Staglianò explained that the goal is to promote “a use of technology that is truly sustainable, ethically oriented and attentive to the dignity of the human person.” The question, beyond statements, will be whether the issue will enter into European industrial and environmental policies.
