ITU and Climate Change

Objectives and orientations

Developing an effective response to climate change calls for action in virtually all of ITU’s fields of competence. An integrated approach is essential to address the range of technological, scientific, policy, organizational, economic and social issues involved.

Within the United Nations system, ITU’s competence in the telecommunications/ICT sector enables it to contribute to nearly all of the main pillars of work under the Bali Roadmap and framework for negotiations, namely science and data monitoring, adaptation, mitigation and technology. At the same time, ITU will reach out to its membership to assist them in combating climate change and in adapting to it, and will engage more fully with other organizations active in this effort.

ITU activities on climate change are oriented around four main objectives.

Objective 1: Develop a knowledge base and repository on the relation between ICTs and climate change

While new technologies and ICT applications can contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, the rapid uptake in ICT devices, notably in developed countries, increases energy consumption and the need to manage the environmentally sound disposal of e-waste. ITU is engaged in efforts to demonstrate that ICTs are a clean technology for sustainable development and can be a key part of the solution to climate change. The adoption of clean technologies and their safe disposal can assist developing and developed countries alike in their economic and social development. ITU studies can also show how new technologies can be designed to be more energy efficient and can develop further evidence of the beneficial role that ICTs can play in combating global warming.

Main orientations

Promote a focused approach to the development of products and services in areas where ICTs can readily contribute to reductions in GHG emissions, including more standardized power supplies and batteries, smart devices and buildings, new low-consumption devices, research and development on consumption and power supplies, use of ICTs in travel management and paperless meetings.

Conduct a systematic review of ITU treaties, resolutions and recommendations in the light of climate change and identify requirements for future work.

Conduct more research into the relation between ICTs and energy efficiency and issue appropriate materials (for instance, a handbook on ICTs and their impact on climate change, or a national e-environment toolkit) and organize meetings/symposia on this issue.

In partnership with one or more developing countries, develop and submit projects under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, for reducing carbon emissions through the use of ICTs.

Objective 2: ITU as a strategic leader on ICTs and climate change

ITU, through its membership, can demonstrate leadership in showing how ICTs can assist in monitoring, mitigating and adapting to climate change. ITU should also assist its membership in combating climate change, in particular through environmental monitoring, through adoption of energy-efficient devices and networks, dematerialization and disposal standards, through carbon abatement (for example, by using videoconferencing to reduce business travel) and by helping countries to adapt to climate change (for instance by using ICTs for managing natural resources, environmental protection, and for monitoring natural and man-made disasters through emergency telecommunications).

Main orientations

Develop, through the membership, a normative framework for addressing the issue of ICTs and climate change. This  includes a resolution adopted at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2008 (WTSA-08) on ICT standardization requirements for combating climate change.  It may also include adopting other relevant resolutions at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-10) and at the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-10).

Implement existing ITU instruments, such as Plenipotentiary Resolution 35 (Kyoto, 1994) relating to climate change, as well as relevant resolutions of WRC, RRC, WTDC-06 and PP-06.

Develop strategic partnerships with Member States, Sector Members, and other organizations (such as GeSI, WEF, ETNO, WWF, UNEP, WMO) with an interest in using ICTs to combat climate change.

Encourage more Member States to sign and ratify the Tampere Convention on Emergency Telecommunications.

Promote the positive effect of introducing new ICT technologies (reduction of power consumption, and reduction of atmosphere/ionosphere heating by very powerful transmitters, videoconferencing, etc.).

Provide assistance to ITU Member States through technical cooperation and through sharing of information on ITU activities and other relevant resources via online tools.

Objective 3: Promote a global understanding of the relation between ICTs and climate change

Main orientations

Take an active role in efforts to deliver a “One UN” approach to climate change.

Follow ongoing global negotiations on climate change and participate actively in meetings planned under the Bali Roadmap; organize side events on ICTs and climate change.

Take an active role in other UN inter-agency mechanisms dealing with climate change.

Strengthen strategic partnerships with FAO, UNEP, WMO, IPCC and other UN agencies, the World Bank, the European Commission, international and national agencies and organizations (for example, meteorological agencies, the Group on Earth Observations, EUMETSAT, ESA, the Space Frequency Coordination Group, JAXA, NOAA, NASA and RSA), NGOs and the private sector involved in combating climate change.

Promote the link between ICTs and climate change at other inter-governmental meetings where the issue is discussed.