There *are* tools to adress the environmental impact of products: Life Cycle Assesment (LCA).

Sadly, in most cases, LCA is used by corporations to greenwash their products by chosing arbitrary system boundaries (everything is connected and there are thousands of indirect effects up- or downstream that are indeed very difficult to calculate) and usually low-quality average values for the different parameters are used (regional differences are rarely taken into account: there is a difference if you throw away the packaging in Slovenia or in the US*).
And there is a general lack of data. Direct emissions are not so difficult, you can even put a price tag (that will be definitely too low, but still...). But how in Xs name do you put a number on biodiversity loss?

Some companies are really trying and use LCA to make good decisions based on data. But don't trust the big ones. Nestle & co employ armies of desktop sustainability PR staff to fool concerned consumers and legislators with fake numbers.

And, you are totally right: LCA does not integrate long-term effects on society or more complex issues like inequality.

Notwithstandig, there are people working in this field since the 60-70s. The German word is hilarious: "Technikfolgenabschätzung" (= estimation of effects of technology).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_assessment
But apparently, these institutions either didn't do a good job, or (more probable) their warning voices weren't listened.
Take care and read about the Luddites (you'll be surprised):
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-future-encyclopedia-of-luddism/

* Because Slovenia has waay better recycling facilities than the US. Just saying, if somebody had thought otherwise...🤔
@helenczerski
#Technikfolgenabschätzung #TechnologyAssessment #LifeCycleAssessment #LCA
#Luddites #Luddism #Technology

Zum #TagdesWaldes laden wir nochnals zur 3. Session der #EPTA2022 ein: Natur (und Wälder) unter Druck - der Mensch als disruptive Kraft.
📺 https://youtu.be/29eomrHSSRE?t=19073

ℹ https://www.tab-beim-bundestag.de/technikfolgenabschaetzung-in-zeiten-multipler-krisen-wichtiger-als-jemals-zuvor-bericht-epta-konferenz-22.php

#TechnologyAssessment #Bundestag

Hello Fediverse, 👋

We are #newhere and would like to introduce ourselves!

Our peer reviewed and open access journal TATuP covers the interdisciplinary field of #technologyassessment (TA) and its neighbours such as, #systemsanalysis, #riskassessment, #practicalethics, #sustainability and #innovationstudies, #STS or #foresight.

Our scope includes findings from the interstices between technological innovation, social change and policy advice.

➡️ Check out all our articles at www.tatup.de!

📢📢 #CallForAbstracts "Assessing the (de)construction of technological hypes"
Hypes, over-promises, inappropriate exaggerations, false claims #TechnologyAssessment #STS ⬇️

Submit your abstract to TATuP
@TAjournal
-> 📆03 February 2023

https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/announcement/view/47

When NASA collaborated with social scientists to engage the public in two-way conversations about the agency’s Asteroid Initiative, the outcome surprised everyone

#DeliberativeDemocracy #publicpolicy #PublicEngagement #sciencepolicy #NASA #sciencecommunication #openinnovation #spacepolicy #TechnologyAssessment

https://issues.org/nasa-asteroid-initative-pta-farooque-kessler/

RT @freddie2310
📢 #CallForAbstracts "Assessing the (de)construction of technological hypes"
Hypes, over-promises, inappropriate exaggerations, false claims #TechnologyAssessment #STS ⬇️

Submit your abstract to TATuP @TAjournal -> 📆03 February 2023

https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/announcement/view/47

RT @ITAS_KIT
What the future? Part 2️⃣ of our video 📺🗨️ series on enhancing #ScienceCommunication for policy makers feat. Jessica Cobert Smith, United States Government Accountability Office (@USGAO)
https://youtu.be/eM1uJlV4828
#technologyassessment #policyadvice

Winner of the 2020 Society for Social Studies of Science's #BernalPrize—#LangdonWinner—reflects on the "Democratic Shaping of Technology: Its Rise, Fall and Possible Rebirth" in #TechnologyAssessment Plus 5 author responses here: https://doi.org/g25h
@4sWeb
#ESTSEngagements

Hello fediverse, [I‘m re-posting my #introduction as I changed instances…]

I’m a historian of technology, working mainly on historical #mobility and #technologyfutures . I'm just starting with a new project on the history of #childrensmobility while my first book on the history of #drivingassistance systems will hopefully soon be published.

My fields of interest are #STS #TechnologyAssessment #Anthropology and of course #HistTech #HistSci #HistSTM #histchild and #TheoryofHistory . Working @KIT_Karlsruhe , being #newhere , hoping to meet mutual #histodons @histodons @historikerinnen @histstm !

Hello fediverse, I’m a historian of technology, working mainly on historical #mobility and #technologyfutures. I am just starting with a new project on the history of #childrensmobility while my first book on the history of driving assistance systems will hopefully soon be published. My fields of interested are #STS #TechnologyAssessment #Anthropology and of course #HistTech #HistSci #HistSTM #TheoryofHistory. Working @KIT_Karlsruhe , being #newhere ...