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Climate Change

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​Digital technologies are powerful tools that can have transformative effects on the Sustainable Development Goals if developed and deployed with societal and environmental impact in mind. The Paris Agreement highlights the importance of technology for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions.

Digital technologies contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and aid in climate adaptation by managing risks and impacts. Digital tools also support climate monitoring and forecasting. Read more about the opportunities technologies can offer in the ITU publication 'Turning digital technology into climate action'. 

The increasing demand for data centers, energy-intensive ICT equipment, and digital devices results in a growing carbon and waste footprint. By using technologies responsibly, we can harness the digital revolution to combat climate change and promote sustainability.

Additionally, digital technologies and data play a crucial role in accelerating progress towards the SDGs and global climate targets. The availability of open, high-quality datasets is essential for informed decision-making and the development of impactful digital solutions for climate adaptation.

Discover more​ about ITU's work on climate change. In addition, the Study Group Question 6/2 on ICTs and the Environment undertakes research on ICTs and climate change.​ Keep updated about our latest climate related events and publications​. ​


GREEN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ACTIVITIES

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Monitoring industry emissions, energy use and climate commitments from tech companies

Since 2022, ITU and the World Benchmarking Alliance have been monitoring GHG emissions, energy use and climate commitments of leading tech companies via an annual industry assessment report. Beyond assessing corporate climate data and targets, the annual reports highlight best practices for digital companies to reduce their emissions and achieve net-zero operations. Supporting countries to monitor and track ICT sector GHG emissions and energy use

ITU and the World Bank are working to collect emissions and energy data from ICT companies globally to enable countries to monitor and track their ICT sector GHG emissions and energy use.
  • Upcoming Measuring the Emissions and Energy Footprint of the ICT Sector: Implications for Climate Action​, 2023. The joint ITU and World Bank report collates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and electricity consumption from the ICT sector in the thirty highest emitting countries. The report also presents case studies from several countries which report on ICT emissions and energy use, in order to delve into regulatory approaches and policy implications inferred from the data.​​

​Supporting countries in developing green ICT strategies and policies, including through the provision of tools, resources and training

UN Climate Change Conference

The UN climate change conference offers prime opportunities to showcase and scale up digital climate action, whilst providing governments the chance to connect with the ICT sector. Explore how ITU has been involved in the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC below.

Empowering youth leadership in climate action

Generation Connect Research Agenda with Academia
Through the Generation Connect Research Agenda with Academia initiative, ITU collaborated with postgraduate students from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva on a capstone research project on 'ICTs for Climate Change Action'. Country-specific case studies were conducted to investigate technology transfer strategies that can drive climate action in Mauritius, Ethiopia, Angola, and Madagascar. Read more here.

Generation Connection Global Youth Summit
ITU developed a masterclass on citizen science for the Generation Connect Global Youth Summit on 'Applying the power of digital technologies for climate action'. During the Opening Ceremony, ITU connected live with youth attending UNEP's Stockholm+50 conference to explore how young people can support the green and digital transitions.

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Other activities


Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES)

CODES is an international multi-stakeholder alliance created in response to the UN Secretary General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. CODES' purpose is to advance digital sustainability. ITU is an active stakeholder and contributed to the Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age.

Global Symposium for Regulators and Global ICT Regulatory Outlook 2023

The Global ICT Regulatory Outlook 2023 report explores nine issues that should be on every regulator's radar, including how regulation can support the twin green and digital transitions. It highlights that higher regulatory pressure is needed to report climate data and support harmonizing methodologies and standards. 

An event on 'Going Green with the Digital Transformation​' was held at the ITU Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) on the 8 June 2023 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. ​This session explored the involvement and role of regulators in reporting GHG emissions data and regulating e-waste originating from the ICT sector.
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Digital Public Goods Alliance and Climate Change Adaption

The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued a call for weather, climate & hydrological information datasets to be made open and freely available as digital public goods. This was driven by the efforts of the DPGA's Climate Change Adaptation Community of Practice that focused on DPGs with the potential to impact climate and weather services. Learn more about DPGs for Climate Change Adaption from the WSIS Forum 2022 ALFM C7: E-Environment event. 

UN4NAPS

ITU is participating in the UN-wide partnership initiative, UN4NAPs, to scale up technical support to Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States to formulate and implement National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

LKDF Forum 2021

The ITU and the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) hosted a session at the LKDF Forum 2021 on  22 ​September, under the theme of Digital Skills for an Inclusive Future. Learn more in the Sessions' Background Papers and the Outcome Book.






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