Side Event
at the occasion of the
Poznan Climate Change Conference (COP 14)
Organized by the European Business Council for Sustainable Energy (e5),
the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
10 December 2008
10h00 – 13h00
As part of a major new initiative on the overall topic of ICTs and climate change, the European Business Council for Sustainable Energy (e5), the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) jointly invite to a side event at the occasion of COP14 in Poznan. Top decision-makers from governments, international organizations and industry will share their views and solutions on how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help to address climate change.
Through their manufacture, maintenance and use, ICTs currently contribute an estimated 2% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But ICTs bear also significant opportunities for emissions reductions and energy efficiency savings. In the recent months, two new studies were launched which describe the carbon footprint of the ICT-sector as well as the positive impact of ICTs on energy efficiency and its opportunities for climate protection: The study „SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age“, prepared by GeSI and The Climate Group, and the study “Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies on Energy Efficiency”, commissioned by the European Commission and prepared by Bio Intelligence Service, the European Business Council for Sustainable Energy (e5) and Fraunhofer Institut (IZM).
The SMART 2020 report confirms that, despite the major anticipated advances in the energy efficiency of products, the ICT sector’s own footprint is expected to grow at six per cent per year (CAGR) and double by 2020 (from 2 to 3%) driven by increased technology uptake in India, China and rest of the world. But the new report reveals also significant opportunities for emissions reductions and how cost savings can be leveraged by applying ICT to global infrastructure and industry. Through enabling other sectors to reduce their emissions, the ICT industry could reduce global emissions by as much as 15 per cent by 2020 – a volume of CO2e five times its own footprint in 2020. If global businesses systematically used ICT to realise all of the solutions indicated in the report they would unlock global energy efficiency savings of over EUR 500 billion*. The study on “Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies on Energy Efficiency”, supports these findings**. Given the political framework in place, the net energy savings enabled by ICT in 2020 can amount from 111.3 Twh of EU-27 total electricity consumption to 2,127 Twh. This enabling effect is due to ICT’s unique ability to allow us to measure, optimise and therefore manage energy consumption.
The Side event will not only present these studies but also the views, proposals and experiences of experts from international organizations and multinational companies on how ICTs can not only reduce their own GHG emissions but also enable other sectors to reduce their emissions. The list of Speakers includes: Houlin Zhao (Deputy Secretary-General ITU), Luis Neves (GeSI Chairman), Sebastian Gallehr (CED e5), Ignacio Campino (Deutsche Telekom), Chris Tuppen (British Telecom), Joaquim Croca (Vodafone), Pierre Delforge (Hewlett-Packard).
PROGRAMME
| 10:00 – 10:50 | 1ST PART | |
| Opening remarks Mr. Sebastian Gallehr, Chief Executive Director, e5 European Business Council for Sustainable Energy |
|
| Adapting to climate change with ICTs Mr. Bjorn Stigson, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – Presentation  |
|
| Presentation of SMART 2020 Report Mr. Luis Neves, GeSI Chairman – Presentation |
|
| Presentation of EU Study report Mr. Shailendra Mudgal, Senior Vice President, BIO Intelligence Service – Presentation  |
|
| Question and answers | |
| 10:50 — 11:05 | COFFEE BREAK | |
| 11:05 – 12:30 | 2ND PART | |
| Panel discussion on ICTs and Climate Change
Moderator: ITU – Mr. Houlin Zhao, ITU Deputy Secretary-General and Chairman of the ITU Climate Change and Emergency Telecommunications Task Force
|
|
| Questions and answers | |
| Closing remarks Mr. Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU |
|
| 12:30 | RECEPTION | |
_______________________________________________________________
(Footnotes)
*calculated as at December 2007 prices and not including a carbon price which may emerge if a global carbon market is established
** prepared by Bio Intelligence Service, the European Business Council for Sustainable Energy (e5) and Fraunhofer Institut (IZM). Therefore, all opinions expressed in the study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the European Commission`s official position.