Ericsson bats for technology-driven climate agenda

MANILA, Philippines - Carl-Henric Svanberg, president and CEO of Ericsson has stressed the critical role information and communication technology (ICT) plays in achieving a balanced and effective global climate change treaty at the annual UN Leadership Forum on Climate Change in New York.

Addressing the UN Secretary General, heads of state and business leaders, Svanberg outlined contributions the ICT sector can make in creating a low-carbon 21st-century infrastructure and encouraged leaders to bring ICT onto the agenda for the upcoming United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen (COP15) in December.

“We owe it to future generations to leverage on technology that is available today, and failing to recognize this potential could jeopardize the world’s success in reducing CO2 emissions,” said Svanberg.

While studies have shown that ICT can reduce global CO2 emissions 15 percent by 2020, Ericsson believes reductions could be even greater with an innovation-driven climate agenda.

“World leaders are focused on an agenda that must deliver some 50 to 80 percent emission cuts by 2050,” said Svanberg. “In order to achieve this magnitude of reductions, we must move away from incremental emission reductions to more transformative ones which can deliver measurable savings and smarter ways of doing things. ICT can increase quality of life while dramatically reducing emissions.”

The GSMA, the body representing the worldwide mobile communications industry, also played a key role at the Leadership Forum on Climate Change and commended the efforts of Ericsson.

“Both Ericsson and the mobile industry are committed to greater energy efficiency and together we can also be a low carbon catalyst for people and machines,” said Rob Conway, chief executive officer and member of the board of GSMA.