This Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop is enthusiastically supported by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), which provides independent, nonpartisan, and technology-neutral research and resources to policy leaders, stakeholders, and the public about public policy issues, drawn from the deep technical expertise of the computing community. Emerging consensus from participants will be used to inform ACM’s efforts in a way that is consistent with the imperative to address the climate crisis. ACM will cover travel and lodging costs.

WorkshopQuestions@acm.org

The Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25122, held 16--19 March 2025, convened global experts from computing, environmental science, and policy to address computing's role and responsibility in the climate crisis. Participants discussed the environmental impacts of computing technologies alongside vaunted possibilities for climate mitigation and adaptation. Through these discussions, participants converged on a shared vision of the responsibility of computing professionals within the present reality of climate crisis. This vision was articulated in a Manifesto outlining core recognitions and commitments.

Key Themes and Insights

• Computing’s Role in Climate Change:

  • Computing technologies have a growing negative impact on the environment; these impacts deserve more serious consideration at all levels.
  • While there are positive environmental use cases for computing, rhetoric on the potential of computing to mitigate climate change is unsubstantiated and likely overly optimistic.
  • Computing technologies tend to amplify and accelerate; so in a society on a path towards exceeding climate targets, computing technologies are likely getting us there faster.
• Responsibility and Ethics:
  • Discussions emphasised the need for computing professionals to embrace a broader ethical responsibility that includes not only minimising harm but also prioritising sustainability and promoting systemic change.
  • Responsible computing must at the same time promote a socially just transition to a sustainable future
• Measurement and Accountability:
  • Participant experts highlighted the methodological challenges in assessing computing’s environmental footprint, including direct and indirect impacts (e.g. rebound effects).
  • Calls were made for stronger professional standards, improved methodologies for assessing impacts, and greater transparency.
• Additional leverage points:
  • Participants discussed the global technology policy landscape and the need for computing professionals to actively influence regulation.
  • Promoting a paradigm shift will require a revolution in computing education.
• Producing a Manifesto:
  • The workshop culminated in the co-development of a Manifesto outlining shared commitments and principles for sustainable computing.
  • The Manifesto is intended to serve as both a guiding document for practitioners and a tool for influencing policy, advocating for transparency, repairable and reusable technologies, and prioritising the public good over profit.

Conclusions

The workshop underscored that computing is at a crossroads: it can continue contributing to the climate crisis or become a powerful agent of change. Achieving the latter requires a collective shift in values, rigorous evaluation of impacts, systemic policy engagement, and a strong ethical framework guiding innovation.

Acknowledgements

This workshop was initiated and partly funded by the ACM Europe Council [1], which promotes dialogue and the exchange of ideas on technology and computing policy issues with the European Commission and other governmental bodies in Europe.

References

1. Acm europe council, 2025.

Creative Commons BY 4.0

Vicki Hanson and Bran Knowles