IGF 2020 WS #72 Tech for the Planet

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Session

Time:

Wednesday, 11 November, 2020 - 16:50 to 18:20 UTC

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Room:

Room 1

About this Session:

There are many exciting examples of how technology can help society address envirnomental challenges. There also are ways the technology sector can reduce its impact on the environment as well as help other sectors of the economy to do the same. This workshop would explore some of these approaches and consider policies to maximize the ability to leverage technology to help solve the planet’s environmental problems.

Thematic Track:

Environment

Topic(s):

Clean and Renewable Energy
Emerging Technologies and Environment
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Big Data for Environmental Sustainability

Organizer 1: B Wanner, U.S. Council for International Business
Organizer 2: Livia Walpen, Federal Office of Communications, Switzerland

Speaker 1: Chris Wilson, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Alexandre Caldas, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Nick Wise, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Reyna Ubeda, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Additional Speakers:

Speaker additions add gender and sectoral diversity to the discussion and enables discussion of the privacy implications of using technology for environmental innovations. The second speaker offers direct expertise in developing a tech company's response to climate change.

Caroline Louveaux, EVP/Chief Privacy Officer, Mastercard

Matt Peterson, Director of Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund (replacing Chris Wilson)

Format:

Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min

Description:

What should governments, international organizations and stakeholders be doing so that technological innovation can be harnessed to tackle environmental sustainability? The serious problems facing our environment – such as climate change, biodiversity and water scarcity – are widely known and recognized in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. There are many exciting examples of how technology can help society address these challenges, and there are also ways that the technology sector can reduce its impact on the environment as well as help other sectors of the economy to do the same. This workshop would explore some of these approaches and try to understand actions and policy decisions that could be taken to maximize the ability to leverage technology to help solve the planet’s environmental problems. Proposed Agenda: • The Potential of Technology Solutions to Environmental Problems • Case Studies and Examples, e.g. business commitments, solutions deployed in the field by companies and NGOs, and public-private partnerships • Discussion on a Multistakeholder Approach to Saving the Planet, and the respective roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders

Issues:

• Re-focusing technologies that have enabled and sustained digital transformation to mitigate damage to the environment. • Using technologies to lead in the reduction of the carbon footprints of business, government, and consumers.

Policy Question(s):

1. How can existing and emerging digital technologies contribute to addressing climate change and how can they foster change in various sectors of the economy (manufacturing, trade, agrifood, etc.)? What initiatives exist and what can be done to improve them? 2. What role can data and AI play in tackling sustainability issues such as climate change, biodiversity, conservation and water scarcity? 3. How could policy-making benefit from the analysis of big data to better understand impacts of policy decisions on sustainability?

Expected Outcomes:

The workshop will provide examples of how business, government, and civil society, either on their own or collaboratively, have developed solutions that address several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It will also seek to identify best practice policy approaches or other factors that can enable the broader deployment of these solutions.

Relevance to Internet Governance: In accordance with the Tunis Agenda, this workshop will directly highlight how ICTs can lead the world in achieving certain SDGs, in particular SDG 13, through information sharing and exploration of public-private partnerships.

Relevance to Theme: This workshop topic will produce a body of substantive information, business use cases, and policy recommendations directly relevant to the environment theme.

Moderator:

Livia Walpen, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Online Moderator:

B Wanner, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Rapporteur:

Livia Walpen, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Discussion Facilitation:

a) The pre-IGF preparatory process will entail reaching out to and confirming the participation of remote discussants, particularly from emerging economies, who the Moderator will invite to offer comments or pose questions via the Remote Moderator following each agenda topic. In addition, the co-organizers will explore with Roundtable participants the potential for establishing remote participation hubs, particularly in emerging economies, delving into technical capabilities and needs that could be addressed by the business community. For the workshop itself, online participants will have a separate queue managed by the Online Moderator. Questions and comments will be rotated between the online queue and the in-person queue at the microphone. The Moderator will work closely with the Online Moderator during the pre-IGF preparations to establish effective means of communication between them to ensure the timely insertion of a remote question/comment. The Online Moderator will be strongly encouraged to participate in pre-IGF training provided by the IGF Secretariat as well as the preparatory teleconferences, the latter to thoroughly familiarize herself with the workshop substance. The Online Moderator also will be "backed up" by the workshop organizer, so that any unexpected technical problems or communication issues with the Moderator can be addressed expeditiously. The pre-IGF preparatory process also will entail (1) confirming on-site discussants, who will attend the workshop and be prepared to ask a relevant question as a means of "breaking the ice" and encouraging other audience questions; and (2) reaching out to and confirming the participation of online discussants, particularly from emerging economies, who the Moderator will invite to offer comments or pose questions via the Online Moderator.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool.

SDGs:

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
GOAL 13: Climate Action
GOAL 14: Life below Water
GOAL 15: Life on Land
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Agenda:

The Potential of Technology Solutions to Environmental Problems
Case Studies and Examples, e.g. business commitments, solutions deployed in the field by companies and NGOs, and public-private partnerships
Discussion on a Multistakeholder Approach to Saving the Planet, and the respective roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders

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IGF 2020 WS #72 Tech for the Planet

Information