New Broadband Commission climate report confirms technology is the key to a low-carbon future
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Governments urged to harness the power of information and communication
technologies to dramatically cut emissions
Geneva, 2 April 2012 - Broadband can help transition the world towards a low
carbon-economy and address the causes and effects of climate change, according
to a new report just released by the Broadband Commission for Digital
Development.
The Broadband Bridge: Linking ICT with Climate Action is the result of work
conducted by the Broadband Commission Working Group on Climate Change, chaired
by Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson and comprising several members
of the Commission, representing industry, international organizations, and NGOs.
The report aims to raise awareness of the pivotal role information and
communication technology (ICT), and particularly broadband networks, can play in
helping creating a low carbon economy of the future, and highlights the
importance of public private partnerships in accelerating change. It is based on
interviews, case studies and supporting material from more than 20 leaders and
experts in the field.
"Addressing climate change implies completely transforming our way of life, the
way we work, the way we travel, shifting our model of development to a fairer,
more sustainable model to ensure our survival. We need to put at stake all the
resources available to us, and mobilize the political will to turn discussions
and negotiations into agreements and actions," said ITU Secretary-General Dr
Hamadoun Touré.
Building on the agreements achieved at the 2011 United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP-17), the report emphasizes the kind of transformative solutions
that are enabled by broadband. It provides practical examples of how broadband
can contribute to reducing greenhouse gasses (GHGs), mitigating and adapting to
the effects of climate change, and promoting resource efficiency, while at the
same time building more prosperous and inclusive societies.
"The understanding of the benefits that broadband can bring is at a global
tipping point. Its role in GDP growth, in enabling the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), and offsetting the effects of climate change is just now starting
to be understood, because finally the deployment is there and the benefits can
be realized. In today's economic climate, societies need to develop, and with a
solutions-driven approach to climate change, we can accelerate a new type of
green growth while supporting global sustainable development goals," said Hans
Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson and Chairman of the Broadband Commission
Working Group on Climate Change.
Last year UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stressed the importance of harnessing
ICTs to improve the lives of people worldwide. In a message to the fourth
meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in Geneva in October
2011, he said: "It is clear to me that information and communication
technologies are transforming our world. Today, there is no part of modern life
that is not affected by ICTs. With well over five billion mobile cellular
subscriptions, and more than two billion people online, our challenge is to
leverage the enormous power of technology to make the world a better place."
In the lead-up to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
(Rio+20) in June, the report presents ten recommendations from the Broadband
Commission for policymakers and global leaders to hasten and strengthen the
power of ICT and broadband to accelerate global progress towards a low-carbon
economy:
1. Lead with vision: adopt a long-term National Broadband Plan/Strategy based
on universal affordability and accessibility, open markets and innovation,
and consciously connect this to your climate goals.
2. Bring convergence: Bring convergence to ICT policy formulation so that it
aligns with other policy areas such as energy, health, education and
climate in order to maximize impact.
3. Ensure regulatory certainty: Ensure clear regulatory rules and regulations
on climate and broadband to create a framework of investment certainty.
4. Be an example: drive cross-ministry collaboration and integrated decision-
making to align climate and digital goals, and use government procurement
to send the right market signals.
5. Foster flexibility: identify and remove the regulatory and policy barriers
currently hindering research and investment in 21st century ICT-based
broadband-enabled infrastructure and low carbon solutions.
6. Provide incentives: encourage uptake of low-carbon solutions and support
market change by rewarding or incentivizing desired consumer behaviours.
Spur innovation among individuals, companies and sectors.
7. Build the market: fund and facilitate scalable pilots to demonstrate
feasibility and effectiveness of broadband as an enabler of low-carbon
solutions and build a strong business case to attract private investment.
8. Form partnerships: cultivate connectivity and 'co-creativity' across
public, private and non-governmental sectors and industries to help develop
a collaborative mindset, shared goals and a common language, and to help
break down silos.
9. Measure and standardize: develop harmonized metrics and measurements and
common standards for calculating both the environmental impacts of ICTs and
the positive contribution technology can make to other sectors - from
individual products to systems, and from individual households to the city
and/or national levels.
10. Share knowledge and raise awareness: actively disseminate project findings,
share best practice and learn from mistakes to identify success factors and
facilitate leapfrogging, especially among less developed markets.
Communicate the opportunities and synergies that can be achieved through an
integrated, trans-sector approach to digital development infrastructure and
low carbon solutions.
The 5(th) meeting of the Broadband Commission is taking place today, Monday 2
April, in Ohrid, Macedonia, hosted by the Macedonian Ministry of Information
Society and Administration.
Download the full version of the new report at:
www.broadbandcommission.org/report2/overview.pdf
Download a 1-page 'highlights' document at:
www.broadbandcommission.org/index.html#outcomes
Watch a video interview with Dr Hamadoun Touré and Climate Change Working Group
Chairman Hans Vestberg at: http://bit.ly/HjMe3i.
For more information on the Broadband Commission, visit:
www.broadbandcommission.org
Follow the Broadband Commission on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/broadbandcommission
Follow the Broadband Commission on Twitter: www.itu.int/twitter
For more information, please contact:
At ITU
Sarah Parkes,
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
E-mail: pressinfo(at)itu.int
Mobile: +41 79 599 1439
At Ericsson
Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
E-mail: media.relations(at)ericsson.com
Tel: +46 10 719 69 92
About ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication
technology. For over 145 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the
radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite
orbits, worked to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world,
and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of
a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to new-
generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio
astronomy, satellite-based meteorology and converging fixed-mobile phone,
Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the
world.
www.itu.int
Press release in PDF:
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Datum: 02.04.2012 - 12:00 Uhr
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