ITU Telecom World 2009 In Review 2009 Geneva 5-9 October ICTs AND CLIMATE CHANGE GREEN 1 – GREEN@ICT: A DIGITAL NEW DEAL In today’s economic crisis, Green ICT and ICT as a tool for greening other in-dustries, are not only essential aids in dealing with Climate Change but also as tools for economic sustainability. It is no wonder, therefore, that a key compo-nent of the economic stimulus agenda in US, Japan, Europe and many other regions, is the development of smart cities, of smart grids, of funding Green Re-search and Development. Today, we have the opportunity where smart homes, smart appliances, smart transportation, smart energy grids will all converge to enable us to use less energy, store more energy, monitor climate change, buy and sell renewable sources of energy, live, learn and play on seamless networks. However, one of the major obstacles remains that for now these are separate industries with different modus operandi and regulatory bodies. Key questions: –– Are we at a very unique juncture of history where the crossroads between ICT and Energy Technologies offer us with myriad options to alleviate the Climate Crisis, Financial Crisis and the Security Crisis all in one swoop? –– Is it time we coordinate the upgrading of the Energy Grid and broadband networks to maximize an effective intelligent energy information highway? –– Should the role of ICT in Climate Change be central to the upcoming Copenhagen conference as a follow up from the Kyoto Climate change meeting? Summary of debate After introducing the panellists the moderator raised the question what ICT can do to address the challenges of climate change and energy usage worldwide? The panellists stressed the importance of how the ICT industry uses the high-way of broadband. In three years 2.4 billion people will have access to mobile broadband; which will pave the way for a new social highway (e-health, e-education). For this, certain countries will need country-specific solutions, but the technology will be the same around the world. 110 Forum Summary Report