In an era marked by escalating environmental concerns and the imperative for sustainable development, a pressing challenge looms large: the urgent need for transitioning towards circular and climate-neutral economies. As industries grapple with the complexities of achieving these critical milestones, Digital Technologies for a Resource Efficient Economy explores innovative conceptual frameworks, case studies, and empirical studies, seeking to unravel the relationship between clean technologies, digital innovation, and knowledge management. Positioned at the intersection of academia and real-world solutions, its insightful exploration engages academic scholars, researchers, industry players, policymakers, and stakeholders in a dynamic discourse on the challenges, opportunities, and trends shaping the path towards a net-zero world in Asia and beyond. Targeting a diverse audience that includes professors, policymakers, corporate leaders, and students, Digital Technologies for a Resource Efficient Economy becomes a cornerstone in the exploration of artificial intelligence, circular economy, clean energy, and other pivotal topics. By combining academic rigor with practical applications, the book becomes an indispensable resource for navigating the complexities of building resilient, inclusive, and green societies. With its recommended topics spanning a global spectrum, encompassing regions from Asia to the EU, USA, Latin America, Africa, and the Gulf Region, the book takes on a truly comprehensive approach. Seamlessly weaving together the intricacies of technology, innovation, and sustainable development, this book positions itself as a crucial guide for anyone invested in shaping a future where economies thrive in harmony with the environment.

The book explores how digital transformation can accelerate the adoption of circular economy principles. It introduces the concept of the circular economy and its importance for sustainability. The role of digital technologies, such as IoT, big data, and blockchain, in supporting the circular economy is discussed. The book also covers circular design and product development facilitated by digital technologies, enabling easier recycling and disassembly. It explores the creation of circular supply chains and business models, such as product-as-a-service and circular leasing, that minimize waste and resource consumption while creating economic value. The book showcases the benefits of creating products that are easily disassembled and recycled, contributing to a closed-loop system. The practical insights, including case studies, provide readers with tangible examples of successful implementation. Case studies highlight successful implementation of circular economy strategies using digital technologies. The book emphasizes policy and regulatory frameworks supporting circular economy and digital transformation. This book aims to inspire business leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs interested in creating sustainable and circular business models. By exploring the intersection of digital transformation and the circular economy, it offers practical insights for accelerating the transition to a more sustainable future.

This book presents cutting-edge findings that draw on the use of AI, the Industrial Internet of Things, Blockchain, and Co-Analytics for the development of Circular Economy (CE) models to make organizational activities more sustainable. A further goal is the development of Digital Technology (DT)–enabled support tools that can be used to further analyze the impact of DT and CE–enabled operational practices used to achieve resource and environmental sustainability. Digital Technology Enabled Circular Economy: Models for Environmental and Resource Sustainability discusses the integration of digital technology-enabledcircular economy models into the manufacturing industries and its advantages for sustainability. It emphasizes the fundamentals and applications and their enactment, as well as integration for the overall organizational development. The book explains the role of digital technologies in food supply chains and multi-life cycle materials for sustainable development and highlights the development of the workforce to facilitate the implementation of smart and advanced technologies. This book presents the development of DT–enabled support tools used to analyze the impact of DT and CE–enabled operational practices on an organization and efforts to achieve resource and environmental sustainability. Case studies that demonstrate how smart digital technology can help firms improve their long-term performance by embracing circular operation methods are also included. Students, academicians, and researchers, as well as managers and stakeholders who are interested in smart, sustainable production, and consumption, together with managers and stakeholders who are interested in ways of implementing them in their organizations, will find this book of interest. It will demonstrate, via the use of real-world case studies, how smart digital technology can help firms improve their long-term performance by embracing circular operating methods.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing field of computer science which now plays an increasingly important role in many disciplines. A catalyst for significant change, research into AI is of particular importance in fields such as medicine and education, and as such has become an area to watch for many people worldwide. This book presents the proceedings of AIMEE 2023, the 7th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Medical Engineering and Education, held on 9 and 10 November 2023 in Guangzhou, China. The conference brought together top international researchers from around the world to exchange research results and address open issues in AI, medical engineering and education. A total of 238 submissions were received for AIMEE 2023, of which 89 papers were selected for presentation and publication after a rigorous international peer review process. The book is divided into 3 sections, covering artificial intelligence and scientific methodology; systems engineering and analysis: concepts, methods, and applications; and education reform and innovation. Presenting papers which explore and discuss many novel concepts and methodologies contributing to the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and its applications, the book will be of interest to all those working in the relevant fields.

Africa's contributions to global technological advancements are often overlooked, with many scholars claiming that the continent has yet to contribute significantly to digital technology. This misconception stems from a need for more understanding and recognition of Africa's indigenous knowledge and its role in shaping the modern world. The education curriculum inherited from colonialism must differentiate Africa's values and culture from Western ideals, leading to a devaluation of Africa's mineral wealth in technological advancements. Additionally, the impact of historical events such as the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism on Africa's indigenous knowledge remains largely unexplored, further contributing to the misunderstanding of Africa's technological contributions. Contributions of Africa's Indigenous Knowledge to the Wave of Digital Technology: Decolonial Perspectives offers a comprehensive exploration of Africa's indigenous knowledge and its crucial role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). By taking a decolonial perspective and examining the literature on African Studies, the book aims to shed light on Africa's significant contributions to digital technology. Through a qualitative research design and an exploratory approach, the book will collect and analyze data from secondary sources to showcase Africa's rich technological advancements and history of innovations.

The nexus between globalization and digitalization presents unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, there is a pressing need to understand how these forces interact to shape our economies, societies, and environment. However, existing knowledge gaps hinder our ability to harness their full potential for sustainable development. Developing Digital Inclusion Through Globalization and Digitalization addresses this critical issue by comprehensively analyzing the relationship between globalization and digitalization. This book serves as a roadmap for policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and international organizations seeking to navigate the complexities of the digital age and leverage globalization and digitalization for sustainable development.

This book examines smart cities through the lens of the information and communication technology (ICT)-driven transformation of the economy and economic systems and the resulting changes influencing organizations (public, private, and voluntary) and citizens in the smart city. In this context, the chapters included in this book address very specific questions pertaining to modes and models of economic collaboration, interest aggregation, and determinants of sustainable growth and development in the smart city. To this end, the circular economy, the sharing economy, the platform economy, and open innovation in the smart city are discussed. The notions of economic performance, competition, and business model innovation (BMI) are elaborated in detail. Finally, the question of the fragility of labor markets, including the availability of talent, is explored. By applying conceptually sound, inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches, frequently including case studies, this book provides a thorough insight into the complex question of how tools specific to the fields of economics, business management, innovation management, strategic management, entrepreneurship, and human resource management can be useful in view of understanding and harnessing the intrusion of ICT in the city space.

Accelerating the Transition to a Hydrogen Economy: Achieving Carbon Neutrality provides a guide to the transition to net zero carbon emissions through the hydrogen economy. Within the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the book explores the implications of the hydrogen economy on the nexus of food-waste-energy and provides an overview of the impacts of the hydrogen economy on the energy industry. The book examines the role of the hydrogen economy in achieving net zero carbon emissions in the waste sector, methods for achieving decarbonization in different industries and parts of the economy, and the technologies that can achieve this. Each chapter provides a synopsis of the fundamental knowledge and latest developments to ensure readers of all experience levels and backgrounds can benefit from the book. Future perspectives and actionable next steps are suggested alongside case studies that provide a roadmap to decarbonization. - Evaluates the nexus of technology, society, environment, and economics for the hydrogen economy from the perspective of sustainability - Critically analyzes current and potential contributions of the hydrogen economy to net zero carbon emission - Offers insights to government and policymakers on how to support and accelerate the hydrogen economy for decarbonization