ITU’s Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) established the Subgroup on National Greenhouse Gas Emission Monitoring Indicators (Subgroup), following agreement during its 15th meeting in September 2024, to address the lack of harmonized environmental data collection from the ICT sector by developing a set of national-level indicators for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. In 2024, ITU conducted a survey among World Telecommunication/ICT Indicator focal points to assess priorities and needs in ICT sector emissions monitoring – results were presented during the 15th EGTI meeting.
The Subgroup developed a harmonized framework of environmental indicators, which also highlights the feasibility of data collection at the national level. The framework includes indicators related to Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, energy, electricity & water consumption, and use of renewable energy, covering key ICT sub-sectors such as telecom operators and data centers.
The Subgroup is also looking into the feasibility of data collection at the national level, considering countries’ existing capabilities and the availability of existing data. The work is drawing on Sub-group member expertise at the national level and relevant ITU research, especially the Greening Digital Companies 2025 report, the Measuring National ICT Sector Environmental Impact: Arcep Case Study - France, and ITU-T Recommendations to identify existing data and gaps.
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The drafting process began in April 2025, and the Subgroup’s output was presented at the 16th EGTI meeting in Geneva on 25 September 2025. This work will help statistical offices and regulators integrate ICT emissions into national monitoring frameworks — a major step towards empowering data-driven regulation and evidence-based climate policy.