As the production and utilization of digital technologies continue to rise, so does energy consumption, particularly in regions with limited energy resources. Despite this, precise estimates of GHG emissions from the ICT sector remain elusive compared to other industries. While estimates suggest ICT sector emissions range from 1.5 to 4 percent of global emissions, similar to the airline industry, limited measurement approaches have hindered policy-making and mitigation efforts.
Unlike high-emitting sectors such as transport, energy, and forestry, the ICT sector faces challenges in establishing robust measurement approaches due to historical priorities, data complexities, and relatively lower emissions. This lack of regulated tracking and reporting hampers the regulatory environment, target setting, and progress reporting.
ITU is spearheading a new initiative to gather and disseminate reliable data on GHG emissions and energy use within the ICT sector, encompassing both companies and countries. As part of this,
ITU and the World Bank collaborated to collect data globally to enable countries to monitor and track their ICT sector GHG emissions and energy use.
