IB Digital Society 5.3 Sustainable Development Key Definitions

Datasets so large, fast-moving, and varied that ordinary tools cannot store or process them, usually described by the four Vs: volume, velocity, variety, and veracity.

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an activity, product, or organization, usually expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. For a digital system it spans manufacturing, operation, and disposal.

An economic model that keeps materials in use as long as possible through repair, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling, in contrast to a linear make-use-dispose model.

Long-term shifts in global or regional climate patterns, often linked to human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

Technologies, applications, and platforms that create, store, process, and distribute digital data and information. Smartphones, social media platforms, AI assistants, and robots are all digital systems.

Waste and garbage of electronic devices.

Reckless waste of substances that leads to negative environmental impacts.