The Broadband Bridge: Linking ICT with Climate Action for a Low Carbon Economy, highlights ten recommendations to leverage the opportunities that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can provide to accelerate global progress towards a low-carbon economy. The report, which is the result of work conducted by the Broadband Commission Working Group on Climate Change, chaired by Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, is being released on 2 April 2012 in Orhid, Macedonia at the 5th meeting of the Commission.

This report emphasizes the kind of transformative solutions that are enabled by broadband and provides practical examples of how broadband can contribute to reducing greenhouse gasses (GHGs), mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, and promoting resource efficiency. The report concludes with ten recommendations for policy makers and global leaders to hasten and strengthen the ability of ICT and broadband to accelerate global progress towards the low-carbon economy.

The full report and further information can be found at: http://www.broadbandcommission.org/work/working-groups/climate-change.aspx

About the Broadband Commission

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development is an initiative set up by ITU and UNESCO in response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s call to step up UN efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Commission was established in May 2010, five years after the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and ten years after the launch of the MDGs. The Commission aims to boost the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda and believes that expanding broadband access in every country is key to accelerating progress towards these goals by the target date of 2015. It defines practical ways in which countries — at all stages of development — can achieve this, in cooperation with the private sector.  

The Commission comprises a high-powered community, including top CEO and industry leaders, senior policy-makers and government representatives, international agencies, academia and organizations concerned with development. Leaders in their field, they each believe strongly in a future based on broadband and offer rich insights and experience in how to deploy and use broadband networks and services to the benefit of communities and end-users. The Commission embraces a range of different perspectives in a multi-stakeholder approach to promoting the roll-out of broadband, as well as providing a fresh approach to UN and business engagement.  

 For more information on the Broadband Commission, visit: www.broadbandcommission.org