SMART2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age

Over a decade ago, GeSI commissioned the first-ever SMART report to investigate the role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in addressing climate change. At that time, the world was beginning to understand the urgent need for climate action, and GeSI wanted to assess how the rapidly growing ICT sector could both contribute to and help mitigate global warming. The SMART report was designed to quantify the emissions associated with ICT products and services, explore the potential of ICT to enable energy efficiency in other sectors, and demonstrate how the sector could become a leader in the global fight against climate change.

The findings were ground-breaking: the report revealed that while ICT itself was contributing to rising emissions due to its rapid expansion, the sector also held the potential to reduce global CO2 emissions by up to 15% through enabling efficiencies in power grids, smart buildings, logistics, and more. The research identified key opportunities such as smart grids, energy-efficient buildings, and industrial automation—offering the possibility of not only reducing emissions within the sector but also helping other industries lower their carbon footprints.

GeSI’s SMART report was one of the first to show that ICT could be a crucial player in achieving significant emissions reductions across multiple sectors of the economy. It laid the groundwork for the industry to advocate for energy-efficient technologies and policies and highlighted the importance of collaboration between governments, industry, and ICT players to unlock the full potential of these solutions. The report also introduced the concept of “SMART transformation,” emphasizing the importance of standardizing, monitoring, and optimizing energy consumption to achieve real, scalable change.

Looking back, this report was a pivotal moment for GeSI and for the global recognition of ICT as a driver of climate action. The SMART report not only provided vital data but also helped shape the discourse around the responsibility of the ICT sector in the context of climate change, marking a milestone in GeSI’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

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