IGF 2020 WS #72 Tech for the Planet

Information

Session

Time:

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

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.

Area:

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:

Jorge Cancio, Government of Switzerland and co-organizer, will serve as Moderator.

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. Third speaker replaces the ITU speaker who could not participate due to illness.

Caroline Louveaux, EVP/Chief Privacy Officer, Mastercard

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

Paolo Gemma, senior Specialist and representative of Huawei on issues related to energy saving and environmental sustainability, will replace Reyna Ubeda (ITU). He currently acts as Co-Chairman of the Focus Group on Environmental Efficiency of AI and other Emerging Technologies (FG-AI4EE) and Vice-chairman of the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative.

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)

Format:

Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min

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?

Issues, Challenges and Opportunities addressed:

• 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Report

1. Key Policy Questions and related issues:

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?

2. Summary of Issues Discussed:

Discussion about a multistakeholder approach to saving the planet

The speakers discussed how multistakeholder collaboration could help in developing meaningful solutions to address environmental challenges. It was agreed that both governmental and corporate standards are needed and can complement each other. Matt Peterson explained that Amazon is trying to pioneer corporate standards by bringing together different corporations to commit to the same goals.

With regard to the work of Oceanmind, Nick Wise stated that multistakeholder collaboration is needed to protect the ocean. Governments play an important role as they set and agree on regulations and international treaties and are responsible for enforcing shipping rules. Local NGOs are essential for engaging governments and in understanding the local culture and concerns and complexities. All parties are needed to come together to achieve impact.

The moderator Jorge Cancio (Swiss Government) closed with stating that multistakeholder collaboration is a minimum requirement to address environmental issues. Furthermore, the intersessional work within the IGF on environment and digitalisation should and will further evolve.

3. Key Takeaways:

To make progress on environmental issues, we need data. New technologies – including satellites, drones, IoT powered sensors etc. – have vastly accelerated data collection.

Currently, we see an overabundance – and not a lack – of date. There is a need for platforms and AI to house, understand, analyse and aggregate this data. Moreover, Interoperability of data is important.

There are many great examples by companies and NGOs on how to use technology to help addressing the planet’s environmental challenges (among others Amazon’s “Climate Pledge Fund”, Mastercard’s “Priceless Planet Coalition” and the work of Oceanmind).

Standards are important to tackle climate change and e-waste.

The digital divide poses a challenge: People need to be connected, but in a sustainable way.

4. Policy Recommendations or Suggestions for the Way Forward:

What policy sector(s) does this fall under? (leave blank if not sure):

Economic

Issue and Recommendation:

Rebound effects need to be taken into account and we need to move from a linear economy to a circular economy. Both governmental and corporate standards are needed, as they can complement each other. Multistakeholder collaboration is a minimum requirement to address environmental issues. All parties need to come together to achieve impact, it cannot be achieved alone. The intersessional work within the IGF on environment and digitalisation should further evolve.

Who should take it?:

IGF -- The intersessional work within the IGF on environment and digitalisation should further evolve.

5. Other Initiatives Addressing the Session Issues:

Initiative:

Amazon Climate Pledge Fund -- https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/about/climate-pledge-fund Matt Peterson explained that Amazon's recently launched “Climate Pledge Fund”, Amazon aims to use its scale from the demand side to look for sustainable investment opportunities. to invest in visionary companies whose products and services will help the company to decarbonize and attain net zero. One of the first companies to join the coalition was Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer. Amazon both invested in the company and purchased 100,000 electric vehicles with the goal to electrify its delivery fleet. Other companies invested in include Carbon Cure, a manufacturer of low carbon cement, as the production of cement emits 12% of the world’s carbon emissions. Another is Redwood Materials, a large-scale battery recycling company founded by the CTO and cofounder of Tesla, JB Straubel.

Initiative:

Nick Wise (Oceanmind) illustrated how the NGO Oceanmind creates a better understanding of what is happening in the ocean so the seafood industry can make sustainable choices. Oceanmind uses modern technology such as satellites and AI to track the seafood supply chain (e.g. by tracking vessels). By doing so, Oceanmind empowers fisheries authorities and seafood buyers to understand the compliance of fishing around the world. Oceanmind also provides direct support, training and capacity building to governments and IGOs. This brings a new dimension to regulatory compliance and sustainability commitments and also enhances trust for consumers. https://oceanmind.global/

Initiative:

Caroline Louveaux (Mastercard) explained how Mastercard leverages its vast network (2.6 billion cardholders worldwide) to educate consumers on climate change and helping them to make meaningful choices. In particular, Mastercard has launched an initiative called ‘Priceless Planet Coalition’, which unites different actors to address climate change by planting of a hundred million trees over five years. Mastercard also developed an App to make it easier and safer for people to make donations to climate issues. https://newsroom.mastercard.com/asia-pacific/press-releases/mastercard-launches-priceless-planet-coalition-inviting-australian-organisations-to-unite-and-preserve-the-environment/#:~:text=Mastercard%20launches%20Priceless%20Planet%20Coalition%2C%20inviting%20Australian%20organisations,onboard%20and%20take%20collective%20action%20against%20climate%20change.

Initiative:

Paolo Gemma (Huawei, member of ITU-T Study Group 5) contributed to the discussion from a macro perspective and emphasized that we need to change our model of development to go in a more sustainable way. In particular, rebound effects need to be taken into account and we need to move from a linear economy to a circular economy. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/about/groups/Pages/sg05.aspx

6. Final Speakers:

Matt Peterson, Director of Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund;
Caroline Louveaux, Executive Vice President of Privacy at Mastercard;
Nick Wise, Nick Wise is founder and CEO of OceanMind; and
Paolo Gemma, senior Specialist and representative of Huawei

7. Reflection to Gender Issues:

At least half of the workshop participants were women, who actively contributed to the Chat. The panel itself was balanced to include a woman speaker (Caroline Louveaux, Mastercard), woman online moderator (Barbara Wanner, U.S. Council for International Business), and woman substantive rapportuer (Livia Walpen, Govt of Switzerland).

The session did not directly address issues related to gender equality and/or women’s empowerment.

8. Session Outputs:

To make progress on environmental issues, we need data. New technologies – including satellites, drones, IoT powered sensors etc. – have vastly accelerated data collection.

Standards are important to tackle climate change and e-waste.

The digital divide poses a challenge: People need to be connected, but in a sustainable way.

10. Voluntary Commitment:

Overall, speakers pledged to take forward to IGF goals and objective by providing inputs to the online submission portal. In addition:

Paola Gemma (Huawei) pledged to continue working in the ITU-T Study Group 5 (focuse on the environment) to " write something to help the young generation to have a better world. Sometimes we cannot change the past but we can build the future."

Caroline Louveaux (Mastercard) pledge to continue is to promote trust, security and human rights in the digital era, including for the global collaboration that is needed, we have been discussing today, in the context of artificial intelligence, data and technology. This foundation of trust will enable the use of technologies to address environmental challenges.

Nick Wise (Oceanmind) pledged to remain ommitted to improving the health of the ocean using technology.

Matt Peterson (Amazon) noted the IGF's important work and expressed a commitment to continue to provide updates to the IGF community of what Climate Pledge Fund's supported companies are building to improve the environment.

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IGF 2020 WS #72 Tech for the Planet

Information