GREEN TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR HIDDEN COSTS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF FRANCE, GERMANY, POLAND, CHINA AND THE USA)

Abstract

The article examines green technologies as a key tool for modern climate policy and energy transformation, which are primarily perceived in public and political discourse as an environmentally sound solution. At the same time, their active implementation reveals contradictions related to the life cycle and the formation of hidden environmental and social costs.

The purpose of the study is to identify the hidden environmental consequences accompanying the production, operation and disposal of green technologies. The paper analyzes the evolution of international climate regulation from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement, and compares national practices for implementing green technologies using the examples of France, Germany, Poland, China, and the United States.

The scientific and practical significance of the study is to expand the critical view of the green transition. It is shown that with insufficient development of recycling systems and a circular economy, green technologies can create new environmental risks and social problems.

The methodological basis consists of a systematic approach, comparative, statistical and discursive analysis. As a result, it has been established that the modern model of green transition is accompanied by a low level of waste recycling and the spread of "greenwashing" practices.

 The value of the study lies in substantiating the need to review the sustainability criteria for green technologies, taking into account their full life cycle.