Moving Forward the Climate Agenda Through Green ICTs

1. Moving Forward the Climate Agenda Through Green ICTs Cristina Bueti, Programme Coordinator, ITU Accra, 8 July 2011 The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the ITU or its Membership.

2. The Problem …climate change is happening…… …GHG emissions need to be reduced……

3. Looking Ahead to COP-17 • COP-17: 28 November - 9 December 2011, Durban (South Africa) • Linking ICTs with the Cancun Agreements • I therefore call on this meeting to send a clear message calling for increased ICT investment and funding at the next round of negotiations to be held in Durban, South Africa when considering the progress in operationalising new institutions such as the Technology Mechanism and Green Climate Fund. • H. E. DRAMANI MAHAMA, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA

4. …Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have a fundamental role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in helping countries worldwide adapt to climate change.…… Why ICTs matters?

5. Benefits….15% …amount ICT could reduce global emissions by = 5x …it’s own footprint

6. By driving down emissions in the ICT sector itself 1 • By cutting emissions and raising energy efficiency in other sectors 2 • By helping countries adapt to the negative effects of climate change 3 How ICTs Can Help to Tackle Climate Change ?

7. What ITU is doing together with ICT industry to tackle climate change and protect the environment?

8. ITU-T created Study Group “Environment & Climate Change” • ITU-T Study Group 5 (April 2009) • New Working Party “ICT and Climate Change” • Continuing and expanding the work of ITU-T Focus Group on ICT and CC • Next meeting will be held from 20 - 28 September, Seoul - Korea • All ITU-T study groups to examine impact of recommendations on climate change

9. ITU-T SG5 established seven work areas • Coordination and Planning of ICT&CC related standardization (Question 17 of ITU-T SG 5) • Methodology of environmental impact assessment of ICT (Q18/5) • Power feeding systems (Q19/5) • Data collection for Energy Efficiency for ICTs over the lifecycle (Q20/5) • Environmental protection and recycling of ICT equipments/facilities (Q21/5) • Setting up a low cost sustainable telecommunication infrastructure for rural communications in developing countries (Q22/5) • Using ICTs to enable countries to adapt to climate change (Q23/5)

10. ITU-T Methodology Common methodology for measuring ICT carbon footprint Without, it will be impossible to provide meaningful comparisons Helps to establish the business case to go green

11. 6 Recommendations under preparation Overview and general principles, approved in February 2011 Covers definition of different types of environmental impacts, and general principles for the evaluation of ICT environmental impacts Focuses on energy and GHG emissions Environmental impact of ICT goods, networks and services Covers direct and indirect impacts of ICT Consent expected in September 2011 Environmental impact of ICT in organisations Includes 3 scopes of ISO 14064-1 Consent expected in September 2011 Environmental impact of ICT projects Consent expected in 2012 Environmental impact of ICT in countries Consent expected in 2012 Environmental impact of ICT in cities Consent expected in 2012

12. Cooperations include

13. Standard for a universal charger for mobile phones • “Universal power adapter and charger solution for mobile terminals and other ICT devices” (ITU-T Recommendation L.1000) • specifies general requirements • covers charger for mobile phones • Future version will cover other ICT devices

14. ITU’s universal charger standard Instead of this … … have this: Recommendation rev. L.1000 Approved June 2011 New

15. Collaboration with UN Agencies on E-waste ITU with UNEP Basel Convention, United Nations University and in collaboration with SteP Initiative and the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region (CEDARE) will carry out a joint survey on e-waste (July 2011)

16. Raising Awareness • Research & Publications • Technology Watch Reports • Resources Website • Symposiums, Events and Workshops • ITU Green Standards Week • Workshop in Korea • Joint Coordination Activity on ICT&CC

17. Using Submarine Communications Networks to Monitor the Climate This ITU-T Technology Watch Report gives an overview of how old and new submarine cables could be used for decades to come as a major resource and a real-time global network to monitor climate change and to provide tsunami warnings. Future generations of cables and associated components could have the capacity to directly measure climate variables, such as water temperature and salinity, as well as give pressure readings on the ocean floor. http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/techwatch/Pages/submarinenetworks.aspx

18. ICT as an Enabler for Smart Water Management Smart water management has become a key policy issue for the 21st century, as a growing number of factors are impacting the delivery of already scarce fresh water to millions of people. Economic growth, seasonal climatic conditions and rising population are all affecting availability of water resources. Moreover, a number of effects linked to climate change, such as lengthy droughts and extreme weather events, are worsening the situation. This ITU-T Technology Watch Report provides an overview of how ICT can be a strategic enabler for smart water management policies and surveys upcoming ICT standards that will enable smart water initiatives. http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/techwatch/Pages/smartwatermanagement.aspx

19. ITU is organizing the first Green Standards Week from 5 to 9 September 2011 in Rome, Italy, hosted by Telecom Italia. The Green Standards Week will bring together leading specialists in the field, from top policy-makers to engineers, designers, planners, government officials, regulators, standards experts and others. The main purpose is to raise awareness of the importance and opportunities of using ICT standards to build a green economy.  General Information • When: 5 - 9 September 2011 • Where: Rome, Italy • Participation is free of charge • Discussions will be held in English only http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/climatechange/gsw/201102/index.html Organiser Host

20. ITU Green Standards Week • 5 September 2011.: Workshop on Methodologies for Environmental Impact Assessment of ICT will examine work underway to measure the impact of ICTs on climate change and how to standardize the way to calculate the reduction of GHG that ICTs have. • Jointly organized with European Commission • 6-8 September 2011: Workshop on Moving to a Green Economy through ICT Standards will explore how ICTs can help to address climate change and build a green economy, shedding light on standards, policies and best practices. • High Level Segment with Ministers & CEOs • 8-9 September 2011: Workshop on Using Submarine Communications Networks to Monitor the Climate, will aim to encourage the development of new technologies and standards and will explore business opportunities for telecommunication companies to become active players in monitoring climate change. • Jointly organized with WMO and UNESCO IOC

21. ITU Workshop on Progressing the Climate Agenda Through Green ICTs • Where: Seoul, Korea • When: 19 September 2011 • Objective:to move forward the agenda on using ICTs to monitor climate change, mitigate and adapt to its effects. • Organiser • Host

22. ITU-T established JointCoordination Activity (JCA) • Objectives: • to co-ordinate across ITU-T study groups and with ITU-R and ITU-D • to seek co-operation from external bodies including non-ITU member organizations • Next Physical Meeting: 28 September 2011, Seoul, Korea (remote participation will be provided)

23. ITU Project in Ghana in collaboration with UNFCCC • Two pillars: • “ How telecommunications sector can reduce its emissions in Ghana?” - Led by EPA Ghana and kindly sponsored by Vodafone Ghana • ITU-T Methodology used for the 1st time! • “How ICTs can help Ghana to adapt to the effects of Climate Change? – Led by Ministry of Communications (Ghana) and kindly sponsored by Research in Motion

24. Collaboration with ICT Industry & UN Agencies ITU UNEP RIM Climate Associates Alcatel Lucent   Huawei Microsoft UNEP Basel convention CEDARE Step Initiative BBC European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Verizon Telefónica Telecom Italia France Telecom United Nations University (UNU) BIO Intelligence Service Datec Technology Ernst & Young Vodafone Ghana 3p Institute for Sustainable Management Dell MicroPro Computers PE INTERNATIONAL AG ETNO Thomson Reuters   Infosys BT Alcatel Lucent Imperial College • Technical Specifications for Sustainability Standard for the ICT Sector • The project will focus on development of a standardized checklist of sustainability requirements specific to the ICT sector that will become a contribution to ITU-T Study Group 5 with the goal of developing a global standard in this area. 

25. What shall we say to our children in 30 years? Now it is time to move the climate agenda forward and advance the implementation of UNFCCC Convention by promoting the use of ICTs for the benefit of all countries in bridging the digital divide and achieving climate justice.

26. Call to Action

27. Links & Additional Information ITU-T and climate changehttp://www.itu.int/ITU-T/climatechange ITU and climate change http://www.itu.int/climate ITU Symposia & Events on ICTs and Climate Change http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/climatechange

28. cristina.bueti@itu.int