International Telecommunication Union Cristina Bueti Side Event on ICT and Climate Change: Finding Solutions 10 December 2008, Poznań, Poland

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 2 ICTs as a part of the solution It is estimated that ICTs contribute around per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These percentages are likely to grow as ICTs become more widely available. At the same time, ICTs can significantly help reduce climate change by: promoting the development of more energy efficient devices, applications and networks; encouraging environmentally friendly design; and reducing the carbon footprint in its own industry and in other sectors, ICTs promise to drastically reduce GHG emissions.

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 3 3 ITU & Climate Change ITU is the leading United Nations Agency for ICTs Committed to Connecting the World- Committed to Connecting it responsibly ITU mandate on Climate Change dates back in 1994 (Res. 35, Kyoto) New Resolution on CC just approved at the WTSA (Johannesburg, Oct. 2008) ITU is co-facilitator in issues related to WSIS Action Line C7: e-environment ITUs activities on climate change can be found at:

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 4 WTSA-08 Resolution 73 on Climate Change Notes conclusion of GSS that ICT industry can set an example by committing to specific programs with objectives to reduce overall GHG emissions Recognizes that ICTs can make a substantial contribution and be a major factor to mitigate the effects of climate change, for example through energy-efficient devices, applications and networks Resolves that CC is a high priority in ITU as part of our contribution to UN processes and global efforts to moderate climate change Resolves to promote adoption of recommendations to ensure greater energy efficient of ICT devices and reduce GHG emissions in all sectors

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 5 High-Level Segment (HLS) of the ITU Council 2008 HLS brought together Presidents of Burkina Faso and Rwanda along with Ministers, regulators and heads of UN agencies and focused on climate change & cybersecurity. (12-13 November 2008) Declaration of the ITU Secretary General on climate change: ITU is mainstreaming this major issue into its regular work programme. ITU is undertaking important work on how ICTs can help prevent and avert climate change. There is a strong role for ITU in standards for energy efficiency of the ICT equipment on which our digital economy depends. ITU has always taken the lead in setting high standards for telecommunications and ICTs, and this is another key area in which ITU can make a real difference.

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 6 ICTs can help mitigate the impact of climate change Directly, e.g., through energy-saving Next-Generation Networks (NGN) should reduce GHG emissions by 40% (Tech Watch Report) Modern radio technologies reduce energy consumption by transmitters ~ 10 times Indirectly, e.g. ICTs for carbon abatement Video-conferencing to reduce business travel in Europe by 1% would save 1m CO 2 tonnes Systemically, e.g., by dematerialisation Intelligent Transport Systems could reduce vehicle carbon emissions below 130g per km Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 7 Established by TSAG in July 2008 Faulkner (BT) appointed as Chairman Four deliverables expected by April 2009 First meeting held 1-3 September 2008 in Geneva and 2 nd meeting on November 2008 Working mainly through conference calls Focus Group on ICTs & Climate Change

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 8 What is the scope of the work? The FG should analyze and identify gaps in the areas of definitions, general principles, methodology (develop) appropriate tools to characterize the impact of ICTs on Climate Change support the development of appropriate international standards* The Focus Group will be identifying the impact of ICTs on Climate Change over their entire lifecycle mitigation measures to be recommended when using ICTs in a relevant sectors possible enhancements to monitoring of relevant climate parameters * The FG will be reducing fossil fuel dependence (incidentally) saving cost and freeing up funds for better use The FG will study adaptation to continuing changes in climate The use of ICTs to monitor climate parameters can be extended to include Ubiquitous Sensor Networking (USNs), as input to short and long range weather forecasting and as a means of informing communities of imminent storms or farmers of long term trends (for crop selection). USNs can also be used to monitor pollution (GHG) levels and so help to bring them under control *TSAG, TD 673, Geneva, 2-9 July 2008

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 9 What are the Deliverables? 1. Report on terms and definitions, December 2008 E.g. which energy unit to use in the FG? 2. Report on the gap analysis and proposed roadmap, December 2008 What is already happening in standards? What more can the FG or SGs do in standards? 3. Report on methodology: Interim report, December 2008; Final report March 2009 Estimate present and future per-user energy consumption of ICTs over their entire life-cycle 4. Proposed Tools and Guidelines, December 2008 Work with SGs in producing Checklists? How can technologies be improved?

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 10 Work of ICT CC Focus Group (timeline for deliverables) D1 Definitions D2 Standards Gap Analysis and Roadmap D3 Methodology D4 Proposed Tools and Guidelines December 31 D1,2,and 4 published on website Quality Assurance Review March April 27 Develop Methodology/LCA Edit D3 and Merged D1-4 Report To TSAG March 4 Merge Final Deliv Quality Assurance Review Hiroshima Contb on D3 QA Review

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 11 Who Contributed to the first meeting?

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 12 Monitoring Climate Change As the steward of the global framework for spectrum, ITU Provides radio-frequency spectrum and orbits for satellites for climate monitoring Develops international treaty level standards for non-interference operation of radiocommunication systems involved in climate monitoring and mitigating negative effect of climate change Carries out studies (through ITU-R Study Groups) Develops World-wide standards (ITU-R Recommendations), and Facilitates the introduction and operation of modern radio technologies and systems with low-energy consumption

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 13 Radio and Climate Monitoring Radio-based remote sensors are the main tools for obtaining environmental data for climate monitoring Systems belonging to Earth exploration-satellite, meteorological-satellite and meteorological aids radiocommunication services form the backbone of the WMO Global Climate Observing System Measuring sea level by radio remote sensor from satellite with precision of 2-3 cm

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 14 Radiocommunications for Adaptation and Mitigation Earth observation-satellite systems provide data for damage assessment and planning relief operation Radiocommunications, in many cases, the only communication means in relief operations because the "wired" infrastructure is destroyed Satellite communication at disaster site Environmental data obtained by radio-based remote sensors are used for climate change prediction and taking preventive measures to minimize its negative effects

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 15 Assisting Developing Countries Develop guidelines, training materials and toolkits on technology & policy aspects of e-Environment applications Assist developing countries in implementing relevant ICT applications for environment and sustainable development Challenges and opportunities Awareness promotion Work with international partners for capacity building and coordinated initiatives Support developing countries for pilot project implementation Monitor and evaluate results; share best practices with other countries I NEED ITUs HELP!

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 16 ICTs for e-Environment Report Objective: Provide guidelines for developing countries on the use of ICTs for better management and protection of the environment as a key part of their development process, with particular focus on climate change Examines six areas of ICT use: Environmental Observation, Analysis, Planning, Management & Protection, ICT Mitigation and Capacity Building Recommendations for developing countries: Strengthen national analysis, planning and implementation Use existing and new financial mechanisms Foster technology transfer Promote best practices Promote Public-Private partnerships

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 17 Building on these recommendations, ITU has initiated a series of activities to assist decision- makers in ITU Members States: e-Environment Readiness Index: Methodology and indicators for assessing a countrys level of e- environment readiness E-Environment toolkit: Practical guidelines for assessing needs and establishing strategies for the implementation of national e-environment master plans Direct assistance to countries in need: Using the developed tools to facilitate the deployment of infrastructure and related ICT services Capacity building: Workshops and training material to assist Member States in the development of master plans and the deployment of diverse ICT applications ICTs for e-Environment Report (cont.)

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 18 Towards a climate-neutral ITU Developing a knowledge base and repository Positioning ITU as a strategic leader Promoting a global understanding through international fora and agreements Achieving a climate-neutral ITU within three years Conducting carbon audit Using remote collaboration tools Developing projects under Clean Development Mechanism

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 19 Climate Change is a global challenge that the world cannot lose. Dr Hamadoun I. Touré ITU Secretary-General, 13 November 2008 Climate change is the defining challenge of our era. ITUs work to cut greenhouse gas emissions, develop standards and use e-environment systems can speed up the global shift to a low- carbon economy. Ban Ki-moon United Nations Secretary-General, 12 November 2008

December 2008 Committed to Connecting the World 20 More information ITU Activities on Climate Change or by contacting us at:

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