ITU Forms New Group to Focus on Telecom Impact on Climate Change

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has set up a new group to work on standards related to the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on climate change.


The new group will focus in particular on the reduction of ICT emissions and how ICTs can assist in cutting emissions in other industry sectors such as energy, transportation and buildings.


The ITU estimates that the ICT sector produces between two to three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But ICTs are also seen as a part of the solution to the climate change challenge.


A key objective of the Focus Group will be to develop internationally agreed methodologies to describe and estimate the impact of ICTs on climate change, both directly and through their application in other industry sectors. Estimates vary widely on how much networking could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Work will start immediately using electronic means, and the group will meet physically for the first time at ITU headquarters in Geneva on 1-3 September 2008 under the chairmanship of David Faulkner of BT.http://www.itu.int/themes/climate/