To support economic development, governments and industries in major countries are committing to massive new technological investments before, or perhaps without, undertaking a comprehensive assessment of their environmental impacts. Existing policy frameworks concerning some emerging technology applications do not provide sufficient clarity for how these technologies will be regulated, especially if the risk of environmental harm is not proven and impacts are indirect or manifest in the longer term. For example, this is the case of the transition to a digital economy that requires building massive data centres; innovation in advanced materials such as semiconductors or smart materials 1 expected to offer major improvements in a wide variety of domains; or the transition to all-electric vehicles. Do we know the full extent of consequences on the environment?