Page 39 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

solutions based on AI technologies, along with the use of additional ICTs, can be used to control a
data centre’s cooling facilities. These can help improve the data centre’s environmental friendliness Chapter 4
and efficiency by automatically modulating its cooling levels to optimize the energy consumption of
the IT load level and the day/night temperature change.

There is also the possibility to use natural water resources such as marine water, underground water,
river water to cool data centres.

Project Natick – an underwater data centre powered by renewable energy – is an example. 14

4.3 Using ICTs to relieve traffic congestion

Traffic congestion is a major challenge for large cities. Research indicates that around 10 per cent
of the global population account for 80 per cent of motorised-passenger kilometres, with OECD
countries dominating GHG transport emissions. Growing GDP in developing regions such as Asia
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has seen growth in the emission levels in those regions as well. In 2010, over 53 per cent of global
primary oil consumption was used to meet 94 per cent of the total transport energy demand.
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Traffic induces air pollution and energy consumption to the detriment of human and environmental
health. Therefore, reducing the number of cars on the road is one of the most important pathways
to reducing emissions in cities. 17

ICTs are being used to manage traffic flows in Moscow, as well as in the Belfast Rapid Transit System
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- the Glider.
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4.4 Using smart grids to reduce energy demands and accelerate renewable uptakes

At the centre of climate change mitigation is the reduction of carbon emissions. Renewable energy
has played a significant role in this space. Statistics show that the surge in solar and wind energies
has pushed renewable energy to account for one-third of the global power capacity in 2018. As the
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cost of renewable energy continues to decline, the share of renewables is expected to continue to
increase.
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The increasing uptake of renewable energy is key to reducing the global carbon footprint. The energy
sector is known to be the largest emission sector. The demand for energy and associated services is
expected to grow as social and economic development continues to evolve. Renewable energy can

14 Roach, John. ‘Under the Sea, Microsoft Tests a Datacenter That’s Quick to Deploy, Could Provide Internet Connectivity
for Years.’ Microsoft, 5 Jun. 2018, news .microsoft .com/ features/ under -the -sea -microsoft -tests -a -datacenter -thats
-quick -to -deploy -could -provide -internet -connectivity -for -years/ .
15 Saxifrage, Barry. ‘Essential Infographics for the Climate-Conscious Traveller.’ National Observer, 25 Feb. 2016, www
.nationalobserver .com/ 2016/ 02/ 25/ analysis/ essential -infographics -climate -conscious -traveller.
16 Sims, Ralph, et al. ‘Transport.’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2017, www .ipcc .ch/ site/ assets/
uploads/ 2018/ 02/ ipcc _wg3 _ar5 _chapter8 .pdf.
17 Sims, Ralph, et al. ‘Transport.’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2017, www .ipcc .ch/ site/ assets/
uploads/ 2018/ 02/ ipcc _wg3 _ar5 _chapter8 .pdf.
18 Smiciklas, John, and Sahifa Imran. ‘Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities:
The Case of Moscow.’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Nov. 2018, https:// www .itu .int/ en/ publications/
Documents/ tsb/ 2018 -U4SSC -Case -of -Moscow/ mobile/ index .html #p = 3.
19 Edwards, Mark. ‘Belfast Drivers Spent 190 Hours Stuck in Traffic Last Year - Second Worst in UK.’ Belfast Telegraph, 12
Feb. 2019, www .belfasttelegraph .co .uk/ news/ northern -ireland/ belfast -drivers -spent -190 -hours -stuck -in -traffic -last
-year -second -worst -in -uk -37808917 .html.
20 Department of Infrastructure, Belfast. ‘Belfast Rapid Transit - Glider - Introduction.’ www .infrastructure -ni .gov .uk/
articles/ belfast -rapid -transit -glider -introduction.
21 Dzikiy, Phil. ‘Renewable Energy Now Makes up a Third of Global Power Capacity.’ Electrek, 3 Apr. 2019, electrek .co/
2019/ 04/ 03/ renewables -third -global -power/ .
22 Edenhofer, Ottmar, et al. ‘Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation: Summary for Policymakers and
Technical Summary.’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2012, www .ipcc .ch/ site/ assets/ uploads/
2018/ 03/ SRREN _FD _SPM _final -1 .pdf.

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