Page 15 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Chapter 1. People, technology Chapter 1

and the climate

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), e.g.
broadband, computers and wireless communication, have a
great capacity to change economies, societies and cultures all
over the world. ICTs are inextricably woven into the everyday
lives of billions of people and have enabled the digital networks
through which ever-increasing volumes of data and information
flow at faster and faster speeds. These data are the central
bedrock around which new technologies revolve and new modes
develop for business, communication and governance, as well
as the environment.

ICTs already influence all manner of decisions being taken by 3
billion producers and consumers around the world every day. This influence may increase even further
1
over the coming years. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as the United Nations (UN)
specialised agency for ICTs, charts the course of such global telecommunication and ICT trends. It
has found that by 2019, more than half the world’s population is using the Internet and by 2020,
more than half the world’s households will have access to the Internet. Figure 1 summarizes some
2
key global ICT developments.
Figure 1: Global ICT developments, 2005–2018 (*ITU estimate) 3

1 Bergmark, Pernilla. ‘Halving Global Emissions by 2030 through Exponential Climate Action and Digital Technologies.’
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 13 May 2019, www .itu .int/ en/ ITU -T/ climatechange/ symposia/ 201905/
Documents/ 3 _Pernilla _Bergmark .pdf.
2 International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ‘Measuring the Information Society Report.’ Volume 1. 2018, www .itu
.int/ en/ ITU -D/ Statistics/ Documents/ publications/ misr2018/ MISR -2018 -Vol -1 -E .pdf.
3 International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ‘Measuring the Information Society Report.’ Volume 1. 2018, www .itu
.int/ en/ ITU -D/ Statistics/ Documents/ publications/ misr2018/ MISR -2018 -Vol -1 -E .pdf.

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