Page 13 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Executive summary

Climate change is threatening to increase vulnerability, undermine economic gains, hinder social and
economic development, and worsen access to basic services and the quality of life of citizens all over
the world. New findings from the UN show that the Earth is fast approaching the environmental ‘tipping
point’. Scientists have warned that there is only a short amount of time left for global warming to be
kept to a maximum of 1.5°C, beyond which any increase will worsen the risks of climate catastrophes.
Moreover, these impacts of climate change may turn into self-reinforcing cycles that affect the young,
elderly and other vulnerable individuals the most. Some countries, such as small island developing
states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) are also more vulnerable overall.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer some potential to help address the world’s
most pressing climate concerns and enable the much-needed shift toward a circular economy (CE).
ICTs can be tools for monitoring climate change and for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Because the main output of the ICT sector is information rather than physical goods – a concept
sometimes referred to as ‘dematerialization” – ICTs can contribute to reducing the emissions and solid
waste that emanate from other (non-ICT) sectors of the economy. The higher levels of connectivity that
ICTs foster are also leading to societal impacts and an exchange of ideas previously not experienced
on this scale and to this extent. Through greater awareness and education, this can have a positive
effect on fostering an environmental responsibility mind-set amongst stakeholders, including the ICT
sector, policy makers, citizens and academia. This is extremely important as everyone needs to come
together to take responsibility for this very complex problem, and to take concerted and timely action.

However, ICTs also consume energy and are, therefore, likely to contribute to global emissions and
waste during their production, usage and obsolescence, and they are dependent on the source of
the energy being used. For example, technological advancements – and the proliferation of frontier
technologies (such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, 5G, digital twins, robotics, etc.), in
particular – are contributing to the growing number of data centres and the concern over their energy
consumption, which is increasing at an alarming rate. The growing number of ICT- related services is also
increasing the environmental footprint of the ICT sector, which calls for action to monitor this trend.
Consequently, the key to successfully leveraging ICTs as part of combatting climate change and its
effects is to ensure that the difference between their net benefit and their net cost to the environment
is monitored closely. This can be achieved, in part, by remaining mindful of the environmental
load of ICTs by tracking their impact and deploying them appropriately in a strategic manner. The
development of, and adherence to, international standards for energy-efficient ICTs can help in this
regard. E-waste should be reduced through recycling, upcycling, repurposing or otherwise reusing
as many components as possible once ICTs have been decommissioned. Eco-design principles that
consider the environmental impacts of products to reduce energy and resource consumption through
their whole life cycle should be widely employed.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has a strong role to play in encouraging these
outcomes by raising awareness and empowering people to make choices (e.g. about the benefits of
smart metering for electricity and water consumption), by providing leadership and expertise on ICTs
worldwide, and by facilitating greater dialogue and exchange of ideas among different stakeholder
groups. Encouraging the responsible use and uptake of ICTs, along with the use of global ICT standards
and best practices, the mainstreaming of eco-design principles and taking advantage of environmentally
efficient applications of frontier technologies can help to accelerate response to climate change.

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