Page 37 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

the world’s electricity and are emitting roughly as much emissions as the aviation industry. As the
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world is moving towards to a digital age, this percentage is expected to continue to grow. It is hoped Chapter 4
that some of the largest companies go beyond taking their first steps in adapting renewable energy
to power data centres and to lower the carbon emission of these data centres by improving their
overall energy efficiency. 4

Figure 9: Greenhouse gas emission per sector in 2010

This chapter sheds light on the ways in which ICTs may help to accelerate climate mitigation actions,
including: improving energy efficiency in buildings; facilitating a pioneer project on data centre
management; improving traffic congestion and public transportation in metropolitan areas; and
being the key element in operating smart grids.

4.1 Using ICTs to improve the energy efficiency in buildings

Buildings and constructions in cities are responsible for 36 per cent of global final energy use while the
industry sector accounts for about 28 per cent of all final energy use. Improving the environmental
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performance and energy consumption of these sectors has significant potential in reducing the
emission of greenhouse gases worldwide.
Smart sensors and IoT applications have the capability to collect, transfer, and analyse a vast amount
of data in near real time. When placed in buildings and constructions, they are able to measure

3 Pearce, Fred. ‘Energy Hogs: Can World's Huge Data Centers Be Made More Efficient?’ Yale Environment 360 (E360),
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, 3 Apr. 2018, e360 .yale .edu/ features/ energy -hogs -can -huge -data
-centers -be -made -more -efficient.
4 Pearce, Fred. ‘Energy Hogs: Can World's Huge Data Centers Be Made More Efficient?’ Yale Environment 360 (E360),
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, 3 Apr. 2018, e360 .yale .edu/ features/ energy -hogs -can -huge -data
-centers -be -made -more -efficient.
5 International Energy Agency (IEA). ‘Energy Efficiency: Buildings: The global exchange for energy efficiency policies,
data and analysis.’ 2019, https:// www .iea .org/ topics/ energyefficiency/ buildings/

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