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Impact & Commitments

Facilitate a green transition across all industries through digital technology and skills development 

Digital technologies and the ICT sector play a key role in supporting climate mitigation and adaptation across industries. These technologies enhance energy efficiency, improve resource management, and optimize infrastructure, contributing to significant reductions in carbon emissions. ICT innovations such as smart grids, IoT, and AI facilitate real-time monitoring of environmental factors, industrial processes, and resource management, enabling efficient and data-driven governance. ICT solutions aid in transitioning to renewable energy, reducing reliance on carbon-intensive systems while promoting a circular economy and sustainable practices​.  

E–waste policy and regulation

Learn how ITU is supporting countries with e-waste policy and regulation.

Green ICT Guides, Strategies and Policies

​Through a comprehensive suite of Green ICT Guides and Capacity Building materials, ITU supports countries in their journey towards a green digital future. 

Mapping digital technologies in national climate priorities

Read the first global snapshot of where digitalization stands in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with 2035 targets.

How can we leverage ICT innovations to accelerate climate action and achieve substantial emissions reductions across industries?

Progress to date

  • 2022 Methodology to assess how the use of ICT solutions impacts greenhouse gas emissions of other sectors  
    As digitalization scales up, it is essential to assess the net climate impact of these solutions, accounting for the emissions they help avoid. ITU-T Recommendation L.1480 provides a harmonized methodology for assessing how the use of digital solutions impacts greenhouse gas emissions of other sectors.
  • 2023 Greening Digital Companies Report
    According to the Greening Digital Companies Report 2023, ICT-enabled solutions have the potential by 2030 to reduce worldwide emissions in various industries by up to 12 080 Mt CO2e , which is 9.7 times the size of the estimated direct emissions of the entire ICT sector. Our GDA Partner, GSMA, forecasts that mobile connectivity can enable 43% of the required reduction in the buildings sector, 65% in transportation, 16% in manufacturing, and 46% in the energy sector.   
  • 2025 Digital technologies in NDCs: Stocktake and analysis
    A new ITU brief on digital technologies in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) shows that, by 2035, many countries plan to use digital solutions to decarbonize energy, transport, buildings, industry and other sectors, and to track progress towards their climate goals. Almost 90% of analysed NDCs mention digital solutions for climate action. 
  • Call for use cases
    We are collecting real-world use cases from companies, cities and countries that are using digital solutions to cut emissions or support climate targets in other sectors. If you are deploying a digital solution with measurable climate benefits we invite you to share your experience and results. The use cases may be selected for showcasing in upcoming ITU knowledge products and for receiving support to calculate the net carbon impact of their solutions.

    Submit a use case here.