Session
Organizer 1: Ross Creelman, European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO)
Organizer 2: Kaoru Inoue, Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)
Speaker 1: Matthieu Belloir, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Ilias Iakovidis, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Malcolm Johnson, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Ke Wang, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Livia Walpen, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Livia Walpen, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Ross Creelman, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Round Table - Circle - 60 Min
Reducing impact: How can we achieve a net zero impact on climate change of the further expansions of the Internet and its infrastructure? How can Internet standards, governance and policy choices, and standards for device design, development and manufacture, contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the Internet (e.g. through the adoption of green computing, energy efficient servers and machines/processes, and by policy contributions)? How can we further use digital technologies to better predict and manage the impacts of climate change?
What are the main challenges of the digital economy for achieving a circular economy? What advantages do digital technologies bring to achieving these aims?
What initiatives are currently in place from the public and private sector to encourage circularity in the digital economy?
What different kinds of approaches would be required for developed and developing markets? How can we account for regional variations?
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
12. Responsible Production and Consumption
13. Climate Action
Targets: In discussing the interplay between the digital economy and the circular economy, and the impact on the environment, the session will directly address questions of responsible production and consumption (including disposal). The implications for the future of the ICT sector more broadly will also touch on the SDG of industry, innovation and infrastructure: specifically how to adapt to sustainability challenges.
Description:
At the IGF in 2020, ETNO co-organised a session together with Swiss Ofcom, GeSI and the Diplo Foundation on the role of digital technology in environmental sustainability. Among the many issues discussed in the panel, one issue raised by the panellists was the importance to develop the circular economy, including the challenge of digital technologies (e.g. digital waste), but also the opportunities offered by digital technologies to enable the circular economy: more sustainable networks, more efficient devices.
This session will examine the circular economy side to environmental sustainability, and encourage the sharing of best practices, and international cooperation. In particular: what are the main challenges of the digital economy for achieving a circular economy? What advantages do digital technologies bring to achieving these aims? What initiatives are currently in place from the public and private sector to encourage circularity in the digital economy?
We intend the session to be a good opportunity to share best practices and perspectives on the main challenges of the digital economy for achieving a circular economy. On the basis of the fruitful discussion at IGF 2021, we intend this discussion to be another opportunity to share points of view on sustainability-related issues, and ensure that the voice of the ICT sector makes a positive and regular contribution to discussions on circular economy at the IGF.
We intend to bring together experts from various stakeholder groups to discuss the issues of the circular economy in the digital world. An important way to ensure participation and interaction from attendees is to use polling throughout the session - a question at the beginning to break the ice and inspire first reactions from the experts, questions throughout, and a question at the end to gauge how the audience responds to the debate.
Usage of IGF Official Tool. Additional Tools proposed: Interactive polling tool for audience participation