Page 13 - Guidelines for cities to achieve carbon Net Zero through digital transformation

Figure 1: Opportunities

ICT to enhance city service efficiency:

ICTs can play a crucial role in optimizing energy, water and mobility services to improve a city's
efficiency and contribute to its sustainability. For example, smart grids can enable real-time monitoring
and management of energy consumption, allowing for better resource allocation and reducing
wastage. Intelligent water-management systems can detect leaks and optimize water distribution,
minimizing water waste. Additionally, the implementation of intelligent transportation systems such
as traffic management solutions and ride-sharing platforms can help reduce commuting distances
and promote sustainable mobility options, leading to a decrease in carbon emissions.

ICT to enhance buildings' efficiency:

The building sector, with a 39 per cent global GHG emissions’ ratio, occupies a forefront position
in the global GHG reduction strategies. Since 2015, in several countries, building regulations and
certification systems for sustainable constructions have adopted stricter baseline energy and GHG
emissions standards to make the construction sector more sustainable (Amoruso et al., 2022).

Digital technologies can be leveraged to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings, which account
for a significant portion of carbon emissions in cities. Building automation systems, IoT-enabled
sensors, and advanced energy management systems can optimize energy consumption, monitor
indoor environmental conditions, and enable intelligent control of heating, cooling, and lighting
systems. By utilizing ICTs to enhance buildings' features and operations, cities can move closer to
achieving carbon neutrality.

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