Community-Based Resilience: Digital technologies for living within Planetary Boundaries

The world faces growing challenges from climate change, environmental pressures, and geopolitical instability, underscoring the urgent need for resilience across social, technological, and economic systems. Recent global disruptions have highlighted how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have become foundational in sustaining societal functions like education, employment, and economic activity during crises. However, existing research predominantly focuses on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), overlooking the potential of ICT to support resilience explicitly within Planetary Boundaries (PB). This paper addresses this research gap by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 920 peer-reviewed publications using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Our findings highlight critical gaps, particularly the limited exploration of ICT's potential to restructure critical infrastructures for resilience rather than simply enhancing efficiency. To bridge theory and practice, we illustrate how digital technologies can enable modular, dynamic strategic networks through a practical case study of food and agriculture resilience in the Himalayan foothills, India. The paper concludes by outlining concrete policy recommendations, emphasizing the importance of measurable indicators, ethical considerations, and outlining directions for future research. • ICT now plays a critical role in enhancing societal resilience; • Digital Technologies offer more capabilities than just efficiency gains: • Digital technologies enable dynamic, modular networks that adapt quickly to changing conditions in crisis conditions. • Multi-tiered networks support digitally-enabled independent production units to collaborate when scale economies are needed. • These technologies highlight the deeper relationship between ICT and societal resilience than previously understood. • Digital technologies can foster innovative solutions for maintaining social cohesion while staying within environmental limits. • Applying a Planetary Boundaries, rather than just a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) perspective, can guide telecommunications policy in creating more appropriate policies that foster sustainable development and resilience while increasing economic benefits