Capital, code, and nature: problematizing the ‘Twin transition’

Abstract

This article and accompanying special issue critically interrogate the convergence of environmental sustainability and digitalization. Promoted by governments, corporations, and international institutions, the so-called “twin transition” is framed as a mutually reinforcing strategy to revitalize economic growth while fostering a just and sustainable future. We argue, however, that this agenda—as it is currently shaped by market logics and geopolitical competition—can ultimately undermine the very social and ecological goals it purports to advance. While existing scholarship is dominated either by techno-optimistic narratives or by narrowly focused critical case studies, the articles assembled here offer a systemic political-economy perspective grounded in critical social sciences and heterodox economics. From this standpoint, we examine dominant green narratives, corporate and class interests, and the geopolitical and labour dynamics embedded in the green-digital transition, as well as planning-based alternatives to prevailing market-led approaches. Collectively, the contributions to this special issue illuminate how the structural drivers of digitalization can constrain its green potential and identify pathways for redirecting the transition towards socially equitable and ecologically sustainable transformations.