The Interaction of Ecology and Computing and its Ethical Consequences

The interaction of ecology and science is clear; that with computing, much less so, other than as an analytic tool. But increasingly severe overconsumption of natural resources, primarily power and water, by applications, including generative artificial intelligence, very large databases and data an...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Marlowe, Thomas J. (Author) ; Herbert-Berger, Katherine G. (Author) ; Ku, Cyril S. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Theology and science
Year: 2025, Volume: 23, Issue: 4, Pages: 909-931
Further subjects:B Catholic Social Teaching
B data analytics
B Computing resource use
B generative AI
B blockchain
B Artificial Intelligence
B Environmental Ethics
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The interaction of ecology and science is clear; that with computing, much less so, other than as an analytic tool. But increasingly severe overconsumption of natural resources, primarily power and water, by applications, including generative artificial intelligence, very large databases and data analytics, and cryptocurrency, presents a serious ethical challenge. In specific instances, this may be balanced, ethically and practically, by the good achieved, especially for environmental issues. Even then, local concerns arise, such as environmental racism. In this paper, we apply Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and other traditions and provide recommendations for ethical use of these technologies.
ISSN:1474-6719
Contains:Enthalten in: Theology and science
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/14746700.2025.2550550