Page 36 - Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

4. The role of frontier technologies in addressing climate change

Frontier technologies are new, cutting edge, innovative, and (often) disruptive technologies, including:
artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, clean energy technology, digital twins,
robotics, Space 2.0 technologies, and digitalization and Big Data.
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The World Economic and Social Survey 2018 published by the United Nations Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) concluded that new renewable energy technologies and efficient
energy storage systems are ‘already enhancing environmental sustainability‘ within certain regions.
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Frontier technologies are enhancing the well-being of many people around the globe by allowing,
for instance, greater access to medicine, improving communication and connectivity through the
proliferation of mobile technologies, and making financial services accessible to millions in developing
countries through innovative digital financial mechanisms. These technologies can be key enablers
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of smartness, sustainability and environmental resilience – offering important opportunities to help
assess, mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The UN, scientific community and academia have been leading global efforts to encourage the use
of frontier technologies in tackling climate change. Leveraging these technologies to engineer new
solutions to address climate change represents a significant opportunity to accelerate efforts to
achieve SDG 13.

It is important to keep in mind that frontier technologies could also be seen as a double-edged
sword that may bring unintended consequences to the detriment of the environment and societies.
For instance, information communication technologies (ICTs) are one of the key enablers of frontier
technologies that can drive innovation and climate actions. At the same time, the environmental
aspect of ICTs is often being overlooked. From issues related to energy efficiency of ICT equipment to
generating increasing amount of e-waste, without adopting a sustainable approach to the utilization
of these technologies, their environmental impacts would offset the benefits that they may bring.
To that end, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s Study Group 5 on “Environment, climate
change and circular economy” has been working closely with policy makers, industry leaders, and the
academia to develop international standards (also called ITU-T Recommendations) that support the
sustainable use of ICTs. The group is responsible for developing international standards, guidelines
and methodologies for evaluating the environmental impacts of ICT facilities and equipment, as well
as aligning the environmental performance of the ICT sector to the SDGs. For example, one of these
standards is Recommendation ITU-T L.1470 “GHG emissions trajectories for the ICT sector compatible

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