Climate Sense

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overnance

and

olicy

resolutions requesting its sectors conduct research and develop

international regulations and standards containing more tolerant

climatic range specifications. The ITU focus group on ICTs and

Climate Change recently developed methodologies to measure the

impact of ICTs on climate change, both in direct and indirect terms.

ITU has developed an integrated approach to address the range of

technological, scientific, policy, organizational, economic and social

issues initiated by climate change in its fields of competence. Its

main activities in developing responses to climate change are:

• Providing the necessary radio frequency spectrum, orbit resources

and developing technical standards for environment monitoring,

early warning and emergency telecommunication systems, both

wired and wireless

• Developing regulatory and technical standards limiting and

reducing GHG emissions and promoting the use of more energy

efficient devices and networks

• Assisting Member States and other industries to take full advantage

of ICT applications for environmental management and sustainable

development and to use telecommunication/ICTs to adapt to, and

mitigate the effects of, climate change

• Cooperating with other organizations in combating climate

change

• Continuing to develop an integrated approach to examining the

relationship between ICTs and climate change, focusing on tech-

nology, climate data collection, adaptation and mitigation

• Joining the UN commitment to lead by example through achiev-

ing climate-neutral status within three years, through paperless

meetings and virtual conferencing

• Continuing to promote the use of ICTs to strengthen and

develop scientific and industrial tools in all areas to combat

climate change.

ITU has already established and strengthened strate-

gic partnerships with other United Nations agencies,

international and national organizations, NGOs and the

private sector involved in monitoring, mitigation and

adaption to climate change.

The ITU together with the United Nations Environment

Programme supports an initiative of ICT service providers

and suppliers called the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.

The initiative will provide direct assistance to countries

on policies and strategies for the harmonized co-existence

of human interaction with the environment through the

use of ICTs.

Forest fire in South Africa. High-tech navigation, communication and satellite tracking

systems enable water bombers to combat effectively the threat of wildfire

Image: ITU/Actualités Suisse

Forest fire in Corsica. ICT-based solutions substantially mitigate the

impact of natural disasters

Image: ITU/Actualités Suisse

“Climate change is the moral

challenge of our generation.

ITU is one of the most

important stakeholders in

terms of climate change in

bringing the benefits of ICTs

to meet the challenge of

climate change”

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General