Emerging technologies and Earth system governance

From ancient bone tools to modern artificial intelligence, technology has always reshaped civilization — but never more consequentially than right now. This article examines the double-edged nature of emerging technologies, particularly AI and digital tools, in addressing the defining governance challenges of our era. Scientific advances have improved lives while creating new environmental crises. Expanded computing power has deepened our understanding of complex systems while enabling mass surveillance and information manipulation. And the benefits of these technologies remain deeply unequal — reaching the powerful long before they reach those who need them most.

Rather than landing on a simple verdict of optimism or pessimism, this research maps how AI and digitalization are actually being deployed across governance contexts worldwide — from local environmental protection efforts to international policy frameworks. The picture that emerges is irreducibly complex: these tools can democratize participation, accelerate problem-solving, and amplify marginalized voices, but they can equally entrench existing power imbalances and introduce new forms of harm.

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