The United Nations climate conference, COP26, has grabbed global attention as our collective "last best chance" to curb the direst consequences of climate change.
As world leaders negotiate plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally, digital transformation strategies have garnered renewed attention as a way to step up rapid, effective climate mitigation and adaptation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted the need for standardization to help countries and companies effectively curb their emissions. At the long-awaited summit in Glasgow on Monday, he also reminded high-level delegates:
"Climate action tops the list of people's concerns, across countries, age and gender."
The Paris Agreement signed by countries worldwide in 2015 outlines the path to cut the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming by mid-century. Yet the last six years, the UN Secretary-General added, have been "the hottest on record."
At a COP26 side event on Wednesday, 3 November, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Deputy Secretary-General Malcolm Johnson, echoed:
"Climate action is now more critical than ever before, as has been made abundantly clear by the experts, the science, and the evidence of our own eyes."
From artificial intelligence (AI) to 5G, emerging digital technologies hold a considerable promise to put the planet on a path to net zero, noted Johnson.
Enhancing climate monitoring
Spaceborne observation of the Earth's surface and atmosphere will become increasingly important for monitoring, analysing, and predicting climate impacts.
Earth observation data can now be fed into digital twins, such as those planned by the European Commission project Destination Earth.
These virtual replicas help researchers better understand climate change and could inform policies to mitigate extreme climate-related risks to society.
Digital's carbon footprint
At the same time, the significant increase in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has greatly expanded the sector's carbon footprint.
"The ICT sector is one of the fastest-growing, greenhouse gas-emitting and energy-consuming," Johnson pointed out.
Electric and electronic waste (e-waste) also needs to be tackled to ensure a sustainable global digital transformation.
Even when industry shows the will to improve, determining responsibility for end-of-life management of technological equipment presents a complex challenge.
Producer and vendor obligations are not always clear, and waste management regulations rarely take account of additional factors like energy efficiency.
How standards can help
Standardization – an integral part of ITU's mandate – encourages valuable cross-sectoral collaboration on climate policy, as well as through environmental and circular economy initiatives.
One new ITU standard details the emission-reduction trajectories needed to cut the ICT sector's greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, in line with the climate targets set by the Paris Agreement.
The implied roadmap for the industry provides the first ICT-specific emission-reduction goals to be approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Developed in collaboration with the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and other partners, the new standard aims to help reduce the growing environmental footprint of the ICT sector and put tech on track to reach net-zero emissions.
UN Secretary-General Guterres, in his opening remarks at COP26, noted the value of standards to monitor and evaluate climate action.
Underscoring the "deficit of credibility and a surplus of confusion over emissions reductions and net zero targets," he announced his intention to establish a group of experts to "propose clear standards to measure and analyze net zero commitments from non-state actors."
Collaborative mobilization
"As we tackle this crisis, our efforts cannot be a series of independent initiatives running in parallel," said HRH Charles, Prince of Wales, as COP26 opened.
He called for a massive mobilization "to marshal the strength of the global private sector."
ITU's Johnson has urged governments to work with closely digital services and tech companies, alongside multiple other stakeholders, each "bringing our own specific competencies to the table", and "avoid duplication of effort" in pursuit of urgent climate and sustainable development goals. "The key words are collaboration, coordination and cooperation."
Join ITU at COP26
At the ongoing climate conference, ITU has joined hundreds of governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and others aiming to unlock digital potential and build momentum for global actions to mitigate climate change.
Deputy Secretary-General Johnson is on the advisory panel of the UN Global Climate Action Awards, which recognize the world's most innovative, scalable, and replicable examples of action to tackle climate change.
The winners were announced on 6 October and will be recognized again at the conference.
ITU is also contributing to a series of COP 26 side events, including "Accelerating climate innovation for cities and communities" at the Global Innovation Hub hosted by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and a climate action panel on 11 November, "Unlocking net zero in cities through sustainable digital transformation and innovative solutions."
The UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 (the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC), runs from 31 October until 12 November in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, as well as through remote online platforms.
Learn more about ITU's engagement at COP26.
Learn more about ITU initiatives and publications on reducing ICT emissions to net zero.
