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SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age

Creation date: 27 June 2008

Applying information and communication technologies (ICTs) more widely in industry and infrastructure could help deliver significant energy efficiency gains and cut global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15 per cent a year by 2020, according to a new report. The Smart 2020 report was published last week by the Global e-sustainability initiative (Gesi) and British NGO the Climate Group. It is billed as the first study of ICTs' potential for reducing
global emissions.  It also shows that the carbon footprint of the sector itself is expected to double by the end of the next decade.

ICT technologies can make a significant contribution to tackling climate change by enabling other sectors to reduce their emissions, the report shows.  Annual emission savings of up to 7.8bn tonnes of CO2 equivalent could be delivered and industry could save over E500bn, it estimates.

Last month, the European commission said ICTs could "massively cut Europe's carbon footprint" and published a policy paper setting out how it intends to "put ICTs at the core of the energy efficiency effort".

The report identifies four areas presenting the greatest potentials for cutting emissions through ICTs: industrial motors, buildings, logistics and electricity grids.  Reducing grid losses in the power sector would deliver the largest savings worldwide, report authors argue.

To achieve such savings the authors call for a policy framework "outlining key actions required by the ICT sector, national governments and industry".  Specific policy tools are also needed including standards and financing for research and pilot projects, they say.

Follow-up: Gesi http://www.gesi.org/, plus press release http://www.gesi.org/index.php?article_id=210&clang=0

and Unep reaction:

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=538&ArticleID=5843&l=en%5d.

See also Smart 2020 report .pdf (1262 KB)