Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in
partnership with GeSI and e5 Group
Through their manufacture, maintenance and use, information and communication
technologies (ICTs) currently contribute an estimated 2% of global greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions. The recent SMART 2020 GeSI/TCG report – “enabling the low
carbon economy in the information age” confirms that, despite the major
anticipated advances in the energy efficiency of products, the ICT sector’s own
footprint is expected to grow at six per cent per year (CAGR) and double by 2020
(from 2 to 3%) driven by increased technology uptake in
the world.
But the new report reveals also significant opportunities for emissions
reductions and how cost savings can be leveraged by applying ICT to global
infrastructure and industry. Through enabling other sectors to reduce their
emissions, the ICT industry could reduce global emissions by as much as 15 per
cent by 2020 – a volume of CO2e five times its own footprint in 2020.
If global businesses systematically used ICT to realise all of the solutions
indicated in the report they would unlock global energy efficiency savings of
over EUR 500 billion*.
A new study on “Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies on
Energy Efficiency”, commissioned by the European Commission**, supports these
findings. Given the political framework in place, the net energy savings enabled
by ICT in 2020 can amount from 111.3 Twh of EU-27 total electricity consumption
to 2,127 Twh.
This enabling effect is due to ICT’s unique ability to allow us to measure,
optimise and therefore manage energy consumption.
As part of a major new initiative on the overall topic of ICTs and climate
change, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in partnership with Global
e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and the European Business Council for
Sustainable Energy (e5) will organize a side-event on "ICTs and Climate Change:
Finding Solutions" where top decision-makers from governments, international
organizations and industry will share their views and solutions on how ICTs can
help to address climate change.
PROGRAMME - Wednesday, 10 December 2008 |
10:00 - 10:50 |
1ST PART |
|
Opening remarks
Mr. Sebastian Gallehr, Chief Executive Director,
e5 European Business Council for Sustainable Energy |
|
Adapting to climate change with ICTs
Mr. Bjorn Stigson, President of the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) -
Presentation
|
|
Presentation of SMART 2020 Report
Mr. Luis Neves, GeSI Chairman
-
Presentation
|
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Presentation of EU Study report
Mr. Shailendra Mudgal, Senior Vice President, BIO
Intelligence Service -
Presentation
|
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Question and answers |
10:50 —
11:05 | COFFEE BREAK |
11:05 - 12:30 |
2ND PART
|
|
Panel discussion on ICTs and Climate
Change
Moderator: ITU –
Mr. Houlin Zhao, ITU Deputy
Secretary-General and Chairman of the ITU Climate Change
and Emergency Telecommunications Task Force
- Opening Statements
- Enabling CO2 reductions through ICT:
- Ms. Cristina Bueti, Policy Analyst, ITU
-
Presentation
- Dr. Ignacio Campino, Senior Executive Vice
President and Representative of the Board of
Management for Sustainability and Climate
Protection, Deutsche Telekom
- Dr. Chris Tuppen, Chief Sustainability Officer,
BT Group
- Mr. Joaquim Croca, Corporate Responsibility
Executive, Vodafone
-
Mr. Pierre Delforge, Manager, Energy and Climate
Strategy, HP -
Presentation
-
Mr. Sebastian Gallehr, Chief Executive Director,
e5 European Business Council for Sustainable Energy
|
|
Questions and answers |
|
Closing remarks
Mr. Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU |
12:30 |
RECEPTION |
*calculated as at December 2007 prices and not including a
carbon price which may emerge if a global carbon market is established
** prepared by Bio Intelligence Service, the European Business Council for
Sustainable Energy (e5) and Fraunhofer Institut (IZM). Therefore, all opinions
expressed in the study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent
the European Commission`s official position.
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