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

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has increased productivity and supported economic growth across the globe. But what impact does ICT have on climate change? This report attempts to quantify the direct emissions from ICT products and services based on expected growth and looks at where ICT could enable significant reductions of emissions in other sectors of the economy.

The authors suggest that the biggest role ICTs could play is in helping to improve energy efficiency in power transmission and distribution (T&D), in buildings and factories, and in transportation. The publication identifies some of the biggest and most accessible opportunities for ICT to achieve these savings.

The study also finds that there are high potential energy savings from dematerialisation or substitution – replacing high carbon physical products and activities (such as books and meetings) with virtual low carbon equivalents (e-commerce/e-government and advanced videoconferencing).

The authors argue that the ICT sector must demonstrate leadership on climate change and governments must provide the optimum regulatory context. The paper recommends key actions, which they characterise as SMART transformation:

• The challenge of climate change presents an opportunity for ICT to first standardise (S) how energy consumption and emissions information can be traced across different processes beyond the ICT sector’s own products and services
  
• ICT can monitor (M) energy consumption and emissions across the economy providing the data needed to optimise for energy efficiency
  
• Network tools can be developed that allow accountability (A) for energy consumption and emissions
  
• This information can be used to rethink (R) how we should live, learn, play and work in a low carbon economy, initially by optimising efficiency and providing other alternatives
  
• Working coherently together will have the greatest impact. It is through this enabling platform that transformation (T) of the economy will occur.