Environmental and social implications of sustainability and technological advancements: Contrarian considerations

Sustainability, climate change, and transition risks are on the global agenda. However, achieving sustainability, climate change mitigation, and technological advancements are punctuated by environmental and social casualties not often articulated in public discourse. This viewpoint seeks to caution that while attempting to deal with environmental and climate risks, we should not be oblivious to the resultant environmental and social implications of sustainable technologies and innovations. Contemporary tech-anchored lifestyles increase demand that supports the mining of rare earth elements (REE) which are used to manufacture sustainable technologies (Satchwell et al., 2022). The viewpoint is theoretically anchored in the rebound effect and Jevons paradox. A qualitative meta-summary was used to support and provide coherent contrarian considerations expressed in this viewpoint. Academics, policymakers, and practitioners must recognise the enormity of the carbon footprint caused by using REE. Sometimes, price tags are people relocations (Sovacool, 2019), and they subsequently forfeit their heritage, land rights, and possibly, cultural identity. This opens opportunities to research moral licensing in sustainability and climate change and transition. A holistic approach to sustainability is suggested. The approach insists that net positive benefits should first accrue to local communities and a share of REE profits invested in specific environmental and social projects in REE mining communities.