CUNEF Universidad organises a complementary activity on the interconnectedness between digital transformation and sustainability

On 2 February, the School of Business, Economics and Law organised “The Twin Transition: Digital and Green”, a new complementary activity for undergraduate students that analysed energy transitions from a historical perspective, focusing on the connection between technology (the digital transition in today’s contexts) and environmental sustainability. Mar Rubio Varas, Professor of Economic History at Universidad Pública de Navarra, reflected on the concept of the twin transition, understood as structurally interconnected transformations that are key to achieving the carbon neutrality goals set by the European Union and China for 2050–2060.  

Professor Rubio stressed that economic growth and energy use have always gone hand in hand, although the former has consistently been higher than the latter thanks to the development of more efficient energy sources. She also said that scientific evidence points to important synergies between the digital and green transitions: digitalisation facilitates the decarbonisation process with coordination, virtualisation and optimisation tools, while environmental goals drive the adoption of digital technologies to track, measure and improve efficiency. In this sense, she pointed out that the transition to circular economies is emerging as key to moving past the traditional linear economic model.

Finally, the speaker focused on energy as a priority axis in the twin transition and stressed the importance of reducing the energy costs of digital computing and improving the distribution logic of renewable energies to transform recycling or mining material restrictions into logistical problems.

The session offered CUNEF Universidad students an integrative perspective on one of today’s most relevant economic and social challenges.