Greening the Virtual: An Interdisciplinary Narrative Review of the Environmental Sustainability Potential of the Metaverse

As the Metaverse emerges as a transformative digital ecosystem, questions about its environmental footprint remain largely underexplored. This interdisciplinary narrative review examines how Metaverse technologies intersect with environmental sustainability across applied sectors including education, healthcare, tourism, e-commerce, manufacturing, and urban development. Drawing from a broad range of scholarly and industry sources, the study synthesizes current practices, projected benefits, and underlying trade-offs. While the Metaverse offers potential for dematerializing physical activities, optimizing urban infrastructure through digital twins, and reducing travel emissions via immersive experiences, it also introduces significant environmental challenges. These include energy-intensive backend infrastructure, short hardware life cycles, and the rebound effects of increased digital consumption. The review argues that the sustainability of the Metaverse is not intrinsic to its virtual nature but contingent on design choices, policy frameworks, and the broader energy systems in which it operates. By reframing virtual innovation through a sustainability lens, the study contributes to the growing discourse on responsible digital futures and calls for collaborative, cross-sectoral approaches to ensure that immersive technologies evolve in alignment with planetary boundaries.