The European
Commission (EC) has given a clarion call to Europe’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry
to outline the practical steps that will take to become 20% more energy efficient by 2015. ICT equipments and services alone account for about 8% of electrical power used among European Union countries, and about 2% of carbon emissions. But using ICT in a smart way could help reducing energy consumption in energy – hungry sectors, such as buildings, transport and logistics and reduce carbon emissions. It asks EU countries to agree on common specifications for smart monitoring, measuring and metering.
“Making better uses of innovative ICT solutions will help to meet Europe’s objectives of a low carbon economy. The ICT sector can show the way to a more sustainable and environmental friendly growth and give a boost to green jobs in Europe”, said Viviane Reding, European Union Commissioner for Information Society and Media. The ICT sector must seize the chance to lead the way in energy – efficient technologies – not only because it is the best way to achieve sustainable cuts in CO2 emissions, but also because the technological potential of these technologies can open up new business opportunities for European ICT companies.
The
Commission’s recommendation to the EU member states and the ICT sector aims to unlock
energy efficiency potential through more public – private partnership initiatives like the ones currently launched by the Commission on energy efficient buildings and green cars but also through partnerships between the ICT industry and defined strategic sectors.
Other example of ecological potential of ICTs mentioned in the text adopted by the Commission are: if Europe were to replace only 20% of all business trips by video conferencing this could cut down more than 22 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Also, the roll-out of broadband networks facilitating an increased use of online public services could save at least 1-2% of total energy use worldwide by 2020.
The Commission recommendation results from a public survey completed during this September 2009 that confirmed the need to improve its energy and environmental performances and the importance of common commitments to meet the emissions’ reduction targets.
Author: Dr. Jagdish P. N. Giri,
Founder and Executive Director – Aaditya Energy Foundation, Chennai, India,
E- mail: jpngiri@adityaenergyfoundation.com,
Web- site : http://www.aadityaenergyfoundation.org