We live in an era of sweeping digital transformation where data-intensive interactions, algorithmic augmentation, and increasingly autonomous devices shape society and economies. Yet global conditions are worsening, with climate change, geopolitical instability, and economic shifts creating widening disparities and new, complex challenges for how information systems are designed, implemented, and evaluated. Addressing these issues requires stronger academic and practical focus on responsible, sustainable, value-generating governance frameworks, strategies, and policies, grounded in the concept of “coexistence” across different worlds (human and artificial, data-rich and data-poor, varying affordability and access). A central priority is coexistence between humanity and the planet through green and sustainable IT, including low-emission innovation, green data centers, and scalable carbon-tracking solutions. Because these are complex, “wicked” problems, progress depends on faster, larger, more effective cross-disciplinary collaboration and more advanced research approaches that match the urgency and scale of climate and related challenges.
