Ahead of his arrival in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (December 7-18), ITU secretary-general Dr Hamadoun Touré made an urgent plea to COP15 delegates not to miss the opportunity of harnessing advanced technologies to dramatically reduce emissions across a wide range of industry sectors.
"At Copenhagen we have a real and reachable opportunity to help save the planet through astute deployment of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs). Studies clearly show more effective use of ICTs can deliver tremendous CO2e1 savings. I therefore urge COP15 delegates to look to the high-tech sector, and take maximum advantage of the power of ICTs to reduce emissions worldwide," said Dr Touré. "Put simply, ICT is the single most powerful tool humankind has at its disposal to avoid potential climate catastrophe."
ITU wants COP15 delegates to include specific mention of ICTs in key areas of the negotiating text. Specific mention of the ICT sector, along with the adoption of an agreed methodology for measuring the carbon footprint of ICT equipment and its inclusion in national adaptation/mitigation plans, would provide an incentive to the ICT industry to invest in developing countries, help reduce the digital divide, and at the same time help fight climate change – a win-win scenario.
Malcolm Johnson, director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB), and a team of ITU experts will work proactively with delegates onsite for the duration of the two-week event to raise awareness of the importance of ICTs. TSB is currently working with industry leaders to develop a standardised international methodology for measuring ICT carbon footprint, and hopes to seal an agreement on this new methodology in April 2020.
In Copenhagen, Dr Touré will join UN agency heads and industry leaders at the UNFCCC iSeeT@theClimateChangeKiosk to raise awareness of the power of technology to make a difference. Activities at the Kiosk include ITU's special programme of daily business talks by leaders from across the ICT sector, and a presentation of ITU's wide-ranging climate change activities. For the full programme, see www.itu.int/themes/climate/events/ict-kiosk-cop15.html.
In addition, ITU is holding a joint side-event www.itu.int/themes/climate/events/itu-wipo-cop15.html with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on the effective use of ICTs in climate change mitigation.
