ICTs and climate change mitigation in the context of emerging economies Presentation at ICTD 2010 Session 1206 “ICTs, Climate Change and Development” London, 13 December 2010 Helen Roeth

Emerging Economies’ Climate Change Challenge Rapid development Infrastructure investments Increasing domestic consumption Workshops of the world  Major increase in GHG emissions Poverty Energy poverty Limited access to public services Lack of infrastructure  Catch-up growth needed

Need for low carbon growth Developing countries account for 50 percent of global GHG emissions By 2030 this figure is expected to rise to 65 percent India 1.1 t > 1.4 t China 2.7 t > 4.9 t Australia 17.2 t > 17.9 t USA 20 t > 18.9 t Japan 9.5 t > 9.8 t Per capita emissions 2000 > 2007 South Africa 8.2 t > 8.8 t Developing countries less than 0.5 t

Low carbon growth path Inequalities in GHG emission accounts mirror the relationship between economic growth, industrial development and access to modern energy services Need to expand provision of affordable energy and other crucial public services to the world’s poor Need to reduce growth in greenhouse gas emissions  Need for low carbon growth and for technological ‘leapfrogging’

Technologies are already available

… but suitable for emerging economies?

Carbon footprints Developing countriesDeveloped countries

Key opportunity areas Low-cost energy efficient ICT devices Energy generation and distribution Urban centres of consumption Land-use change and deforestation Production and international trade of goods  ICT-based solutions that reconcile growth imperative with urgent necessity to mitigate further growth in greenhouse gas emissions

Energy generation and distribution The challenge –Rapidly rising demand for energy –High carbon intensity of supply –High grid losses –Rising energy costs –Need for large investments Decarbonising energy supply & demand –Reducing reliance on centralised generation –Improving grid efficiency through active monitoring –Support energy saving through smart meters Example of technologies and services –Meters and energy accounting software for monitoring energy consumption –Protocols for grid-wide system interoperability to support integration of renewable/distributed energy

Recommendations Clear opportunity for ICT-enabled climate change mitigation in emerging economies Technology transfer –Broader deployment of ICT in developing and emerging economies Building innovative capacity –Transform developing countries to become low-carbon technology producers and innovators –Foster competitiveness of local industries and create new business opportunities –Catalyse domestic capacity to adapt and develop technologies and help diffuse innovations

Thank you! Helen Roeth

Catching up or leading the way? North Delhi Power Limited –Distributes electricity to five million people in the Delhi metropolitan area –Invested in smarter grid to reduce energy losses from 54 percent to less than 18 percent over the past 5 years Chery Automobile Co., China –Partnering with the Danish ICT company Better Place to co-develop prototype electrical vehicles and charging stations –China has set industrial policy with the objective of becoming the largest EV developer and manufacturer in the world

Enabling effect of ICT Dematerialisation –Replacing physical goods, processes or travel with ‘virtual’ alternatives –E.g. video-conferencing or e-commerce Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication –Underlying enabler of a large share of GHG emission savings identified through process optimization –E.g. smart grids, smart logistics, smart buildings, or smart motor systems Systemic impacts –Behavioural effects such as new habits and consumption patterns that humans develop as a result of ICT use –Consumers control or influence 60 percent of all GHG emissions (of which 35 percent are under direct consumer control through their own consumption and use)

Production and international trade of goods Around one-quarter of the growth in developing country emissions since 2000 was associated with international trade China: 30 % of the growth in emissions between attributable to the production and international trade of exports Opportunities –cross-border transportation and logistics –manufacturing in emerging economies

SMART Grids: The Role of ICT Source: GESI and The Climate Group, 2008