SMART 2020
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Our SMART 2020 report showed that the ICT sector can reduce global emissions from all sectors 15% by 2020.
Today, 4 billion people have mobile phones. We connect to the internet to share information, work, socialise and shop. By 2020, this will grow to 8 billion. And not only will people become more connected, but 'things' too: there could be 50 billion machine-to-machine connections in 2020. This information will make climate change visible. It will help us monitor our impacts and emissions. See case studies of solutions in action on SMART2020.org, or read more on the SMART2020 Blog.
We’ve been working with members like Google and BT, and partners like Cisco to build on the enormous potential and economic opportunities of ICT in the Clean Revolution.
Key milestones this year:
December 7, 2011 We published the Information Marketplaces report in partnership with Accenture, Arup and Horizon (University of Nottingham), that investigates the economics of smart cities, and how technology can be used in cities to meet the growing challenges of expanding urbanization.
November 3, 2011 We announced 20 city challenges in partnership with Living Labs Global Award. To win the Award, international technology and service solution providers will compete for twenty winning spots that will allow them to pilot their solutions in these cities, putting their effectiveness to the test. Enter your solution below.
The SMART 2020 program: saving 15% of global emissions through information and communication technologies
Where we are today:
Encouraging a low carbon urban society will require significant changes to how we use energy in buildings and transportation systems, and a rapid increase in renewable sources of power. ICT can play a key role in this transformation, saving up to 15% of global emissions in 2020 (see the SMART 2020 report for details )
However, there is a danger that the 15% opportunity will not be realized. Why?
- Companies within the IT and service provider industry are keen to provide solutions, but the customers (cities, other corporates) aren’t always convinced about whether the new services are really delivering further economic and carbon value
- Cities and regions are the places where these solutions will make the most sense, but cities have yet to integrate ICT as a strategic platform to deliver carbon and sustainability benefits
- Financial institutions need to understand how to assess the risks around new technology deployments, and integrate the ‘diffuse’ energy efficiency opportunities into projects they can finance.
Why we're focusing on cities and regions:
Over 50% of the world's population already lives in urban centers. They're responsible for 60-80% of global emissions.
Complex systems - buildings, transportation, power distribution, waste and water - all intersect in urban centers. Regions can lead by allocating their budgets where the most impact will happen fastest.
We're just beginning to realize the potential of managing these systems with better communications and information technologies.
In June 2010 we formally announced the incorporation of the Connected Urban Development (CUD) Alliance of cities (founded by Cisco Systems in partnership with cities Amsterdam, Seoul, San Francisco, Madrid, Lisbon, Hamburg and Birmingham) into our SMART 2020 programme. We are now engaging additional corporate and city partners from our network to form the Smart2020 initiative.
What we will do:
The SMART 2020 program will support market transformation to achieve 15% savings opportunity.
Specifically, the program aims to:
- show the value of ICT-enabled solutions beyond through 10 demonstration projects
- engage with governments to adopt policies that support the financing and scale up of solutions
- engage with financial institutions to make them aware of the opportunities
We hope to achieve the project aims by:
- providing project support for 10 ICT demonstration pilots
- identify opportunities for cities (SMART 2020 cities reports and value case development)
- continuing our policy advocacy work (currently engaged on energy information)
- communicating project and policy findings, successes and lessons learned externally and with other networks
To find out how to join, contact Molly Webb (mwebb@theclimategroup.org)
SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age
In 2008, our joint research with GeSi (Global e-sustainability Initiative) and McKinsey on the role of ICT in the low carbon economy made waves. We found that ICT can reduce emissions, from all sectors, globally by 15% by 2020.
ICT is responsible for 2% of global emissions today, from data centres, mobile networks, phones and PCs. But on the other, it can save up to 15% of emissions in 2020 in buildings, motors, the power grid and transportation. To do this, we will need energy and environmental information at our fingertips, to make saving carbon as easy as sending an email. We will use this information to enable energy efficiency and finding alternatives (such as videoconferencing) to carbon-intensive activities (such as travel).
In economic terms, the ICT-enabled energy efficiency translates into approximately €600 billion ($946.5 billion) of cost savings. It is an opportunity that cannot be overlooked.
Our reports
Our analysis identified some of the biggest and most accessible opportunities for ICT to achieve these savings. To find out more about opportunities, download the SMART 2020 report, produced by The Climate Group, GeSI and McKinsey in 2008.
The report identified 7.8 Gt CO2e carbon emissions abatement potential by 2020. The report has been translated into Chinese and Spanish. Follow-up reports also have been produced for the US and Portugal.
Policy groups such as the GSMA, Digital Energy Solutions Campaign, and ICT4EE in Europe are working with governments to show what the ICT sector can do, and also to take action on the challenging task of measuring the sector's own footprint.
