EcoTechnoPolitics: Towards planetary thinking beyond digital–green twin transitions

Calzada, Igor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4269-830X and Eizaguirre, Itziar 2026. EcoTechnoPolitics: Towards planetary thinking beyond digital–green twin transitions. Societies 16 (2) , 57. 10.3390/soc16020057

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Abstract

This article advances EcoTechnoPolitics as a transformational conceptual and policy recommendation framework for hybridizing digital–green twin transitions under conditions of planetary polycrises. It responds to growing concerns that dominant policy approaches by supranational institutions—including the EU, UN, OECD, World Bank Group, WEF, and G20—remain institutionally siloed, technologically reductionist, and insufficiently attentive to ecological constraints. Moving beyond the prevailing digital–green twin transitions paradigm, the article coins EcoTechnoPolitics around three hypotheses: the need for planetary thinking grounded in (i) anticipatory governance, (ii) hybridization, and (iii) a transformational agenda beyond cosmetic digital–green alignment. The research question asks how EcoTechnoPolitics can enable planetary thinking beyond digital–green twin transitions under ecological and technological constraints. Methodologically, the study triangulates (i) an interdisciplinary literature review with (ii) a place-based analysis of two socially cohesive city-regions—the Basque Country and Portland (Oregon)—and (iii) a macro-level policy analysis of supranational digital and green governance frameworks. The results show that, despite planetary rhetoric around sustainability and digitalization, prevailing policy architectures largely externalize ecological costs and consolidate technological power. Building on this analysis, the discussion formulates transformational policy recommendations. The conclusion argues that governing planetary-scale ecotechnopolitical systems requires embedding ecological responsibility within technological governance.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2026-02-11
Publisher:	MDPI
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 February 2026
Date of Acceptance:	6 February 2026
Last Modified:	25 Feb 2026 11:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185266

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