ITU symposium to focus on ICT impact on climate change

Geneva: Climate change is a global challenge that requires concerted action. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are seen as vital instruments in monitoring the spread of global warming as well as part of the solution in promoting carbon displacement technologies. At the same time, in an increasingly ‘switched on’ society, ICTs are also becoming a part of the cause of global warming. Although ICTs contribute only an estimated 2.5 per cent of total greenhouse gases, this is set to grow as usage of ICT expands globally, now growing at a faster rate than the general economy. The second ITU Symposium on ICTs and Climate Change in London with simultaneous live webcast, on 17-18 June, will build on the results of the first event held earlier in Kyoto, 15-16 April. A number of actions were recommended for ITU. Among them ITU’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) was asked to develop an internationally agreed standardized methodology to measure the impact of ICTs on climate change, both in terms of the direct emission of greenhouse gases and the savings that can be generated in other sectors of industry through the application of ICT. The symposium will seek to provide guidance to the global ICT sector on how to mitigate and monitor climate change. On the first day, the outcomes of a major new report on ICTs and energy efficiency will be announced. The study was conducted by industry analyst McKinsey for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a multi-stakeholder partnership in which ITU is a member. As well as metrics to measure greenhouse gas emissions from ICT, experts will explore how standardization can contribute to saving energy. Corporate responsibility as well as ICTs as a green technology feature on the agenda. Outcomes of the Symposium will help define a road map for the global ICT industry for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and guide ITU’s role in combating climate change. High-level experts drawn from industry, government and academia as well as key writers on the topic, journalists, analysts, environmental experts, service providers, telecommunication systems manufacturers, systems integrators, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and standards experts are expected to attend. Sir Michael Rake, Chairman, BT Group, will open the Symposium. Source: International Telecommunication Union

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