Why it matters
SDG 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impact. 2019 was the second warmest year on record (and at the end of the warmest decade) and the global community is currently not on track to meet either the 1.5°C or 2°C targets of the Paris Agreement. The world needs to halve emissions by 2030 to limit global overheating to 1.5°C, which is necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences and irreversible changes. Despite the drastic reduction in human activity due to the COVID-19 crisis, the resulting 6% drop in emissions projected for 2020 falls short of what is needed, and emissions are expected to rise as restrictions are lifted.
The industry contribution
Mobile technology contributes to SDG 13 by increasing connectivity, improving efficiency and effecting changes in behaviour, while mobile network–enabled technologies help avoid emissions. Connected devices in particular form an important part of the decarbonisation solution. Meanwhile, 29 operator groups representing 30% of global mobile connections are already committed to science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement.
Enabling the transition to a zero carbon economy
Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
In 2018, the enabling impact of mobile communication technologies globally was estimated to be around 2,135 million tonnes CO2e – equivalent to the level of GHG emissions emitted by Russia in 2017. The total annual emissions of the mobile sector are approximately 220 MtCO2e, (Mobile sector emissions of 220 MtCO2e include the energy to operate the networks, the embodied emissions of the networks and the emissions of handsets) which is about 0.4% of total global emissions. The level of avoided emissions enabled by mobile communication technologies is 10 times greater than the global carbon footprint of mobile networks themselves – a tenfold positive impact. Mobile technologies also enabled a decrease in 1.44 billion MWh of electricity and gas, and 521 billion litres of fuel.
Smart transportation, smart buildings, smart manufacturing and smart agriculture facilitate rapid emission reductions while improving quality of life and supporting economic growth. For instance, the increase in vehicle monitoring, route optimisation, fuel efficiency through telematics helped avoid approximately 105 million tonnes CO2e in 2018, equivalent to taking 23 million passenger cars off the road in the US in a given year.
Over 50 mobile operators, representing more than two-thirds of mobile connections globally, are now disclosing their climate impacts, energy and GHG emissions through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Working in collaboration with the ITU, GeSI and SBTI, the GSMA also helped to develop a new sector-specific decarbonisation pathway for the ICT sector. This enables ICT companies to set science-based targets (SBTs) in line with the latest climate science.
Case Study
UK: supporting the government-led Climate Change Act
Context
The UK became the first country to introduce legally-binding targets through the Climate Change Act 2008. This committed the country to reduce its annual carbon emissions by at least 80% in 2050 from the emissions levels of 1990. Following climate change movements across the globe in 2019, the act was amended to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Solution
As part of the RE100 campaign, BT has been actively reducing its emissions for more than 20 years and renewed its own targets in 2017 with the aim to reach a reduction of 87% by 2030. It has also set a net-zero emissions goal by 2045. To achieve this, BT focuses on three areas: decarbonising its buildings, switching completely to renewable electricity and transitioning to a low-carbon fleet through telematics and electric vehicles (at trial stage). Additionally, the operator asks each key supplier to commit to cutting their emissions by building a clause into their commercial contracts.
Impact
Since 2017, BT reduced its carbon intensity by 42% to 18 tonnes of CO2e per £1 million value added. To date, 92% of the operator’s electricity consumed globally is renewably sourced. The use of telematics technology has helped BT engineers to improve routing, making fuel go further. Thus far, the company has also trialled 23 electric vehicles and ordered 46 more for its fleet of nearly 65,000. As of 2020, the contract clause has achieved commitments from 12 suppliers, including Nokia, which signed up in 2019, and several more in discussion.
Source: BT
Improving resilience to the effects of climate change and driving energy efficiency
Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Mobile operators and mobile technologies also facilitate and drive innovation in climate adaptation and help to build resilience against climate change. For instance, mobile technologies play a key role in disseminating valuable weather information, especially to smallholder farmers that are vulnerable to extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. An example is the partnership between Ignitia and mobile operators in West Africa to deliver SMS-based location-specific weather information. Smart agriculture services, such as those offered by Orange Business Services and Dacom, also allow farmers to better understand and adjust to climate change through big data analysis. Beyond the dissemination of information via mobile phones, mobile technology is also becoming more crucial to bridge the data gap in weather monitoring and forecasting. For example, microwave data from backhaul networks and mobile-based geo-location data (GPS, cell ID) can be combined with big data from satellites and sensors to create flood warnings or hyper-localised forecasts for communities that are vulnerable to climate change.
Agriculture, forestry and other land uses also account for 25% of global GHG emissions, due in part to high emissions from fertiliser use, irrigation systems and food waste. Mobile technology helps farmers to better regulate, plan and remotely monitor irrigation and soil conditions. In California, where agriculture accounts for 80% of all water use, an estimated 9 million acres of farmland are irrigated. The installation of small solar-powered sensors and an LTE-served network helped save an estimated 6% of water use (equivalent to more than 3.4 million litres) while reducing 5% of GHG emissions.
Case Study
US: impacting behaviour change for a sustainable future
Context
In 2019, 142 billion gallons of motor gasoline and 197 million gallons of aviation gasoline were used in the US. Light-duty vehicles (e.g. cars, sport utility vehicles and small trucks) account for 92% of all gasoline consumption in the US. Against this backdrop, electric vehicles (EV) are a potential solution. However, to achieve an adequate experience and to help raise adoption, a connected charging point is critical. A standalone, non-networked charger cannot inform drivers if their EV was unplugged or stopped charging for some reason, which would mean drivers could return to their EVs and find their car did not charge sufficiently, creating a poor driver experience and reducing adoption rates.
Solution
ChargePoint provides EV charging to businesses and creates an integrated, smart EV charging network, which helps people and goods move on electric power. By integrating highly secure and dependable IoT connectivity into their charging stations, ChargePoint provides fundamental services needed to make charging stations work. ChargePoint uses AT&T IoT to offer remote control and monitoring services, addressing needs such as the enablement of remote software configuration changes and the provision of detailed quarterly reports of the station’s performance metrics.
Impact
As of March 2020, ChargePoint used AT&T connectivity at around 37,000 stations, allowing its customers to avoid the use of over 15.5 million gallons of gasoline, equivalent to almost 138,000 metric tons of CO2e avoided. These figures represent AT&T-connected stations only and ChargePoint also uses a host of other network partners, so the amount of gasoline savings by this provider alone will be higher. If current growth rates continue and ChargePoint is able to provide 127,000 charging stations that utilise the AT&T IoT network by 2025 – and the average usage of those stations is consistent with the amount of usage today (a conservative assumption given the expected increase in EV drivers) – AT&T IoT will enable GHG emissions reductions of an estimated 537,000 metric tons of CO2e in 2025.
As of March 2020, ChargePoint used AT&T connectivity at around 37,000 stations, allowing its customers to avoid the use of over 15.5 million gallons of gasoline, equivalent to almost 138,000 metric tons of CO2e avoided. These figures represent AT&T-connected stations only and ChargePoint also uses a host of other network partners, so the amount of gasoline savings by this provider alone will be higher. If current growth rates continue and ChargePoint is able to provide 127,000 charging stations that utilise the AT&T IoT network by 2025 – and the average usage of those stations is consistent with the amount of usage today (a conservative assumption given the expected increase in EV drivers) – AT&T IoT will enable GHG emissions reductions of an estimated 537,000 metric tons of CO2e in 2025.
Source: AT&T 10x Case Study
Maximising impact by 2030
Enablers that could help maximise the mobile industry’s impact on SDG 13 include the following:
- Providing affordable renewable electricity options such as solar, wind, biomass, hydro, tidal in the geographical location where operators are operating.
- Accessing renewable electricity through the local grid by either entering into power purchase agreements with renewable electricity generators or by purchasing renewable electricity through certificates in the local electricity market.
- Local governments supporting direct investments in self-generation of renewable electricity and supporting community energy grids and site sharing in off-grid areas.
- Creating frameworks for public-private data sharing partnerships, for example between meteorological agencies and mobile operators, to improve the availability and quality of climate and weather services.