Digital technology delivers a sustainable future
A digital world is a low carbon world. That’s why companies must build their new business models and processes on sustainable foundations as they undergo their digital transformations. Customers, investors and governments are demanding that the needs of people and planet drive thriving economies. Shared values and ethical practices are nudging out cold hard profits as the measure of success.
Cutting energy consumption in CSP networks
At the Nokia Real Talk – A sustainable future event, industry experts will look at the rapidly changing business environment and discuss why and how communications service providers (CSPs) can play a pivotal role in helping industries achieve their aims of net zero emissions while using digital connectivity and services to innovate, thrive and drive new business value.
Steven Moore, head of Climate Action at the GSMA and one of the Real Talk keynote presenters, noted in the GSMA’s Enablement Effect report that while the mobile communications industry generates 0.4% of global emissions, the level of avoided emissions enabled today is a 10:1 positive impact, and this is set to double by 2025. He discusses how CSPs will play a pivotal role in helping other industries decarbonize. Many CSPs already use 100% renewable energy but they have also opted for network sharing, liquid cooling and automation and AI to cut energy consumption and emissions in their own networks.
Helping industries met their emissions targets
These networks are the foundation of connected or smart industries. Combined with cloud, machine learning, automation and AI, 5G can both improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption across industries. According to Moore, connected energy grids could reduce global carbon emissions by 4 gigatonnes by 2030. That’s the same as avoiding 4 billion flights from New York to Paris or taking 1,000 coal-fired power plants offline.
Looking at these proof points, it’s hard to see why anyone would hesitate to embrace digital technology or invest in a sustainable future strategy. But there’s still reluctance in some quarters due to costs.
Addressing the real cost of climate change
In his Real Talk keynote, award-winning sustainability authority, John Elkington, will explain that the recent focus on climate action has put those costs into perspective. He will explore how the current global microchip famine can be tracked to climate change and will discuss how climate change strikes in unexpected ways.
Elkington will also look at “the coming boom in regenerative capitalism" and show how industries moving to a circular economy will help to mitigate the effects of climate action and forge new ecosystems that will benefit the planet. Elkington will outline how industries pass through three development stages, or horizons—Responsibility, Resilience and Regeneration— and how some will require systemic change, but digital technologies and innovations will ensure responsible production and consumption.
Redefining value for a sustainable future
And finally, this Real Talk session will close with a panel that builds on the theme of ‘Redefining value and business strategies for a sustainable future’. Chris Talbott, Google’s sustainability lead and Pia Tanskanen, Nokia’s Head of Environment will join John to discuss why a sustainability strategy is not only about lower energy consumption, but also about innovation and creating responsibly sourced products and services and ensuring that processes and business models are sustainable by design.
In terms of the technologies that will have the biggest impact, the panel will explore how connectivity plays a huge role helping industries achieve all UN sustainable development. At the same time, technology and innovation will generate value and decouple demand from overuse of resources.
Some of the toughest climate questions will require more data, more compute power, smarter machine learning models and better insights to answer those questions, so cloud tools will be required in business operations. As part of redefining value, Chris Talbott and the panel will explore the need for consistent key performance indicators and a common language across functions as well as looking at other ways businesses can value emissions benefits.
In Real Talk – A sustainable future, panelists will show the importance of taking concrete climate action. The communications industry can offer robust connectivity and digital solutions that can help decarbonize many other industries as well as its own.
Register for the event here and find out why there should be #NoBoundaries to our ambitions. By acting together—with partners, customers and policymakers—CSPs and industries can push systemic changes and create a sustainable future.