Richard Labelle, a consultant with ICTs for Sustainable Development presented these slides as part of the Cybera Summit 2010 session "The Nexus of Science Policy and ICT Policy: Implications and Outcomes". For more information, visit http://www.cybera.ca/nexus-science-policy-and-ict-policy-implications-and-outcomes

1. ICTs for green growth –
A priority for science policy?
Richard Labelle (rlab@sympatico.ca)
Consultant, ICTs for Sustainable
Development

2. What informs provincial science
policy? (1)
• Provincial concerns and priorities along with
belief in importance of basic research (?)
• Many of these concerns are global & shared
• They present opportunities for research
collaboration and cost sharing leading to
synergy & efficiency in the use of resources

3. What informs provincial science
policy?
• ICTs for green growth:
– A global & wide ranging science policy issue
– Where many others are working
– Where funds are flowing for R&D.

4. What informs provincial science
policy?
• Growing a green cyber environment can
inspire science policy:
– Opportunity to tackle key issues related to
sustainability:
• Sustainable energy,
• Abating climate change,
• Reducing material use,
• Increased process efficiency.
– Opportunities for collaboration with private sector
– Opportunities for commercializing innovation.

5. Consider
• ICTs for green growth may be an area of
research endeavour that is highly relevant to
provincial science policy and research
opportunity in Alberta and elsewhere

6. Many global concerns (1)
• Energy crunch
– Energy costs (data centres, inefficient E use, etc.) drive the
private sector to reduce costs & adopt Green IT
– “Peak oil”
• Pollution, overconsumption & overpopulation
• Evidence of global warming
• Environmental & other disasters
– The BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico

7. Many global concerns (2)
• Basic infrastructure shortcomings / failures
– Grid failures in the US & elsewhere
• Global security concerns
– Need for greater monitoring of population centres
& key civilian & military infrastructure: the grid!
– Cyber warfare & military apps.
– Security procedures at airports

8. Many global concerns (3)
• Global economic slowdown  stimulus
• Greater public concern about environmental
issues & climate change everywhere
– World Bank & other surveys of public perceptions
@ environment

9. (ICT) Technology catalysts (1)
• Digitization dematerialization
– Telepresence travel replacement
• Miniaturization nanotechnology
– Reduced energy consumption of devices
– Moore’s Law still works
• Web 2 & open standards, Web 3 next
– Interoperability

10. (ICT) Technology catalysts (2)
• NGNs: fast (FTTx), interoperable, redundant,
converged & intelligent
– Grid & cloud computing
Ubiquitous computing
– Wireless technologies
• Environmental monitoring technologies:
– Sensors: low power & embedded in devices and
networks

11. (ICT) Technology catalysts (3)
• Pervasive computing, Internet of Things,
Wireless sensor networks, RFID, ...
– Smart devices connected to NGNs
• Smartphones
• Smart sensors, sensor networks, nanosensors (smart
dust)
• Low power consuming devices / sensors

12. Market drivers (opportunities)
• Demand for broadband services:
– Video (YouTube), triple play, IP TV, ...
• Proliferation of wireless based services:
– Cell phone (smartphone) uptake
• Mobile > desktop in ~ 5 yrs
• Social networking + mobile Environmental
reporting
• Alternative energy sources & technologies

16. Global clean energy
investments

18. Green IT - Definition
• Using ICTs to :
– Observe & measure & report on earth systems
– Reduce GHG emissions & environmental impact
• Limiting e-waste
– Facilitate / enable sustainable use of energy and
natural resources
• Green growth: promoting sustainable
economic growth and development in an
energy constrained global economy.
– Green IT major component of stimulus in several
countries (Ko, Jp, CN, US, EU, etc.)

19. Possible partners (1)
• In EU for example:
– National E-Science Centre (U. of Glasgow /
Edinburgh, UK)
– EMPA: Swiss research institute on
materials science and technologies
– Sussex Energy Group at Science and
Tech. Policy Research (SPRU, U. of
Sussex, UK)
– Govt. of Denmark

20. Possible partners (2 - EU)
• Industry / government associations
– ETNO (European Telecom Network Operators’
Association)
– GSM Association
– FTTH Council Europe
– GeSI (ICT industry, ITU, UNEP - Bell Canada is
supporting member)
– Energy Efficiency Inter-Operator Collaboration
Group (EU, Japan, AU, ZA, US – no CA
participation)
– Intellect (UK tech. industry)
– Government
– UK., EU,

21. Possible partners (3 - EU)
• ICT/ telecoms standard setting bodies
– ITU-T, ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards
Institute), etc.
• Civil society
– SEI (Oxford/Sweden),
– WWF Sweden (Pamlin)
• Telcom operators:
– BT, Telefonica, France Telecom, Belgacom, Telecom Italia,
Magyar Telecom, Deutsche Telecom, Orange, Huawei,
Cisco, Juniper, Freescale, etc.
• Other firms in sector: AccountAbility, SAS UK,

22. Possible partners - Canada
• CANARIE
• ERA Can (Cdn. Fdtn for Innovation)
– Facilitates collaboration with EU research organizations
• PROMPT Inc.
• Etc..

23. Take aways (1)
• Opportunities ?
– Energy measurement / metering
– Standard setting
– Env. service provision
• Data management, e-surveillance, property
management  smart buildings
• Climate change modeling, scenario building via
cloud / grid computing
– Energy service provision?
• Smart grid monitoring, reporting, remote mgmt.,
etc.

24. Take aways (2)
– Green / sustainable design – a research
opportunity?
• BIM high end, high value!
– Target: the AEC community
• Sustainability assessment services: Green
sigma (IBM)
– Application development
• Environmental apps. for mobile, etc.

25. Take aways (3)
– Innovation, R&D:
• Microprocessor design
• Broadband for the smart grid
• Sensor technologies
• Nanotechnologies (nanosensors, smart
sensors, smart dust, etc.)
• Low power / self powering sensors
• Grid technologies

26. Challenges
• Lack of awareness
• Lack of knowledge
• Lack of standards
• Cost of Green ICT
– May lead to increase in GHG emissions initially
• Will rural dwellers benefit?
• Lack of roadmap / strategy

27. References
• Tuppen, C. 2008. A climate stabilisation intensity
target. C. Tuppen, Director Sustainable Development
BT. ITU London Symposium on ICTs and climate
change, July 2008. 17 slides. Slide 2.
• Global e-Sustainability Initiative and the Climate
Group. 2008. SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon
economy in the information age. 87 pp. Fig. 8.
• National Information Society Agency, Republic of
Korea.
• Pew Charitable Trusts. 2010. Who’s winning the
clean energy race? Growth, Competition and
Opportunity in the World’s Largest Economies.
G-20 CLEAN ENERGY FACTBOOK. The Clean
Energy Economy. 44 pp.

28. Thank you