Policy Network on Environment (PNE)

The mandate of the IGF, set out in Paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society is to discuss the main public policy issues related to Internet governance to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet. 

The United Nations Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation envisages a strengthened IGF and stresses the importance of environmental issues. Striving for an enhanced impact of the IGF on global internet governance and policy, the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) has developed an intersessional program intended to complement other IGF activities.

As new intersessional activities two Policy Networks were established - the “Policy Network on Environment and Digitalisation” (PNE), and the Policy Network on Meaningful Access (PNMA). The focus of the PNE was established due to the fact that the topic of environmental sustainability had received significant attention at the IGF 2020 and it was decided that this was also going to be a focus topic of the IGF 2021. 

Short-term goal: Publish a report by December 2021 containing concrete, actionable policy recommendations targeted at the governing bodies of the UN Member States.

Long-term goal/vision: Man-made Climate Change is wreaking havoc on the planet and the human population. This will only increase if we do not make tangible progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For digitalization to fulfil its promises to tackle environmental issues related to climate change, the PNE envisions a world in which stakeholders are building upon in-depth knowledge about the interplay between digitalization and the environment and are making use of accurate environmental data (shared globally in interoperable formats).  

The future of the PNE: In 2021, the PNE is focused on its short-term goal of producing and publishing a report to be presented at the IGF 2021 in Katowice, Poland. What the priorities and envisaged outputs for 2022 will be, is yet undefined and will be subject to open discussion within the PNE community. The IGF Secretariat will facilitate a dedicated session to address these questions in the context of the IGF 2021, so that individual stakeholders may include it in their planning for 2022. 

The Multistakeholder Working Group (MWG) - composed of various stakeholders selected by the IGF Secretariat in the beginning of 2020 - has been the driving force at the heart of the PNE. With the help of an independent consultant, the Members of the MWG have collectively worked out the vision of the PNE and the details of the target output for 2021. 

While the Members of the MWG are primarily responsible for delivering the output report, a larger community is invited to join and contribute to the work. As the work with the report progresses and the PNE grows in numbers and engagement, the PNE community takes up a bigger role, shaping the future of the PNE beyond the IGF 2021. In general, the PNE is open to cooperation and collaboration with other initiatives, networks, and processes (e.g., EuroDIG, regional IGFs, UN CODES, etc.).

The MWG meets monthly, with all meetings being open to the larger PNE Community. The main instrument of communication within the community is the PNE Community Newsletter, open to subscribe to anyone interested. The PNE Website is also at the disposal of the community, featuring past meeting notes and resources. 

There are six workstreams in total, one for every chapter of the report (except the conclusion):

• Introduction
• Overview of Opportunities & Risks
  • Thematic chapters:
  • Environmental Data
  • Food & Water Security
  • Circularity & Transparency
  • Overarching Issues

For the thematic chapters, prerequisites in terms of maximum length of text and overall structure are given, to aid coherence of the overall report. The main goal of the thematic chapters is to produce 3-5 policy recommendations targeted at UN Member states governance bodies.

Members of the community interested to join a workstream can sign up via email to the respective workstream leads, contacts are linked on the PNE Website (scroll up). 

There are three role types within each workstream. Expected time commitment from September-December 2021 is indicated within brackets, PNE Meetings included:

Workstream (co-)leads (time commitment: ca. 25h): This is the person/duo primarily responsible for delivering the output in the respective chapter they are leading. This person/duo is the point of contact for members of the community interested to join a workstream. The workstream lead initiates the workstream work sessions outside of the regular PNE Meetings to make progress on the chapter. The consultant or IGF Secretariat can be asked to help facilitate these meetings. The workstream (co-)leads are also expected to participate in the PNE Meetings whenever possible. The (co-)leads are also expected to be mindful of a non-siloed working approach, communicating and inviting feedback from the wider PNE community (and especially the reviewers). 

Co-author (time commitment: ca. 15-20h): Co-authors are expected to contribute to the report/a chapter in substantive fashion. Co-authors are expected to participate in the workstream work sessions scheduled by the workstream leads if possible, and deliver written input as agreed in the workstreams. Co-authors will be listed individually as co-authors to the report in the acknowledgments.

Reviewer (time commitment: min. 2h, flexible): Reviewers are expected to give their constructive feedback on the content produced by the workstream they have signed up to as a reviewer. Reviewers are invited by the workstream (co-)leads to give their feedback on the report in due time. Reviewers comment on the report, but do not directly edit it. 

 Workstream (co-)lead: The positions of workstream lead for the circularity chapter and the overarching issues chapter are still open and waiting to be filled.

Co-author: Deadline to join a workstream as a co-author is October, 1 2021.

Reviewer: There is no deadline for reviewers. Reviewers can signal their interest to review a chapter anytime, ideally directly to the respective workstream leads as indicated on the PNE Website. 

The report will be formatted by the IGF Secretariat and published in English. A translation will not be made available by the IGF Secretariat. However, international stakeholders are invited and welcome to reference the report and discuss its contents in their own language.

The kick-off will be at the IGF 2021 in Katowice, at the dedicated session for environment (December 9, 13:15-15:20 CEST), expected to reach a broad network of stakeholders. The report will also be brought to the attention of the high-level parliamentary track. The IGF Secretariat will also distribute the report directly to all UN Agencies. Via the IGF Website, the report will be made available to all interested stakeholders for further dissemination and discussion.

Definition: What are we talking about?

• Note on important clarification to be made when talking about "ICT sustainability" (EuroDIG)

List of Resources

• Further Reading - list compiled by Michael J. Oghia with general resources, reports, regulations and studies conducted by the European Union, resources on sustainability in Europe, resources on data centers, on e-waste and lifecycles and conflict minerals, metals, and mining.

Roadmaps

• The United Nations Secretary General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation
• The SDIA's Roadmap to Sustainable Digital Infrastructure by 2030

Conference Proceedings and Reports

• IGF 2020 Messages on Environment
• EuroDIG Greening the Internet Governance Part II

Recordings

• EuroDIG Focus Session on the Environment
• IGF 2020 Main Session on the Environment