A “systems” perspective on clean technology

The question of what makes a technology “clean” is one that has been raised before in this journal (Sikdar 2017). In principle, there is general consensus that assessing environmental performance of a technology must be done using holistic metrics and taking what is often called a “systems” perspective. In other words, recognizing that technologies do not exist in isolation, but rather rely on numerous upstream and downstream processes and activities for their creation and use. Similarly, use of a technology may induce demand for or create impact to interacting systems that are not always readily apparent. …