Moving Forward the
Climate Agenda Through
Green ICTs
Cristina Bueti, Programme Coordinator,
ITU
Seoul, 19 September 2011
cristina.bueti@itu.int
International
Telecommunication
Union
ITU Overview
Founded in 1865
ITU presence in Asia-Pacific
Leading UN Special Agency for ICTs
HQ in Switzerland; 5 Regional Offices & 7
Area Offices
FIJI
192 Member States and around 700
Sector Members , Associates, Academia
ITU has three sectors
ITU-R (Radiocommunication)
ITU-T (Standardization)
ITU-D (Development)
ITU TELECOM Events
 Regional Office for Asia and the
Pacific in Bangkok , Area Office for
South East Asia in Jakarta. ITU-EC
Project Office in Suva, Fiji.
 38 Member States
 71 Sector Members
2
ITU has assisted this evolution since 1865…
1865
2015
Technical standards
Satellite orbits
Management of
spectrum
Policies and
regulations
ICT development
… throughout the constant (and fast) evolution of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
Balancing ICT Growth and Climate Change
ICT Growth
“Vs” or “AND”
Countering Climate
Change
ICTs play a double role in climate change
 ICTs are part of the problem…
 ICTs contribute 2-2.5 % of GHG, according to some estimates
CO2 emissions from telecom infrastructure and
devices, 2002 and projected in 2020 ……
Also, not to mention the
problem of eWaste….
But ICTs are also part of the solution, as they are a
transformational tool that can deeply change several
ICT and
industries, sectors and activities
climate change
Digital
Cities
Smart
Grids
Fully Networked
Car
e-commerce
e-governance
e-health
e-education
C
O
N
V
E
R
G
E
N
C
E
7
Reductions in environmental
load by using ICTs
Korea is the leading country……
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database
The use of ICTs by new sectors can accelerate
innovation, improve access to basic services
and create a new model of (sustainable)
development
ICTs can support the implementation of
the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in the run-up to Durban
(COP-17)
Cancun
Agreements
Mitigation
of climate
change
Adaptation
Technology
development
and transfer
Science and
data
monitoring
What ITU is doing to tackle
climate change and protect the
environment?
Work in Mitigation
 Reduction of energy consumption by ICT
equipment through new standards;
 E.g. The promotion of Next Generation Networks
(reducing power consumption by up to 40%)
 Better use of spectrum to reduce energy consumption
of wireless devices.
 Advancing on new standards to promote
reduction of emissions by other sectors

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Smart grids and smart buildings
Intelligent transport systems
Remote working technologies
Sensor-based networks
Adaptation
 Support to get telecoms up and
running after disasters
 Recent examples Pakistan, Haiti and
Chile
 E-Environment Toolkit will help
countries to assess the contribution
that ICTs can make to reduce GHG
emissions.
 ITU project in Ghana
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
Data Monitoring
As the steward of the global framework for spectrum and satellite orbits, ITU:
 Ensures availability of radio-frequency spectrum and
satellite orbits for climate monitoring and climate
change prediction
 Develops international treaty level standards to
ensure non-interference operation of systems
involved in climate monitoring;
 Carries out studies (through ITU-R Study Groups) for
development of new wireless technologies to
increase use of remote sensors;
 Assists administrations in implementing radio systems
by analyzing compatibility between new and existing
systems
Technology transfer
 Within the WSIS process ITU has built a global online
community to exchange best practices in the use of ICTs to
promote sustainable development;
 Focus in project stocktaking;
 Open to multi-stakeholders (government, academia, private
sector, NGOs, etc.)
 Related topics:
 E-agriculture
 E-environment
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
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
International
Telecommunication
Union
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
ITU’s universal charger standard
Instead of this …
… have this:
Recommendation rev. L.1000
Approved June 2011 New
International
Telecommunication
Union
Collaboration with UN
Agencies
 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 ( to be officially launched on 1 October 2011)
Collaboration with ICT
Industry & UN Agencies
 Guidelines for an
Environmental
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.
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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
Mandat International
Imperial College
University of Genoa
ETSI
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
Raising Awareness
 Research & Publications
 Technology Watch Reports
 Resources Website
 Symposiums, Events and Workshops
 ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment
and Climate
Change in Montreal in 2012
 ITU Green Standards Week (Sep 2011)
 Call to Action on Methodologies for Environmental
Impact Assessment of ICT
 Call to Action on Using Submarine
Communications Networks to Monitor the Climate
and Disaster Warning
ITU-T established Joint
Coordination 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)
Looking Ahead to COP-17
 COP-17: 28 November - 9 December 2011,
Durban (South Africa)
 Linking ICTs with the Cancun Agreements:
 The role of technology is already well recognized in
the UNFCCC process (through the Technology
Mechanisms and the Climate Technology Center and
Network – CTCN- established in the Cancun
Agreements)
 Innovation and the transfer and dissemination of
technologies, including ICTs, is key to both
mitigation and adaptation.
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.
Links & Additional
Information
 ITU-T and climate change
http://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
Thank you!