Chapter 1
Chapter 1

Understanding Climate Action

Why climate action is relevant to the mobile industry

Every industry has a role to play in the net zero transition. The climate impacts of the mobile industry are relatively small compared to heavy industry, transport and agriculture, but still need to be reduced if the world is to achieve net zero.

The Climate Action Handbook and FAQs give an overview of the mobile industry’s climate impacts and where they come from.
For a complete overview of climate action across the sector, see the annual Mobile Net Zero report.

There is a role for mobile in helping other industries decarbonise as well, by using connected technologies to reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and better manage climate adaptation and resilience.

Climate Action Handbook

The GSMA-led Climate Action Handbook is designed to guide, inform and prepare anyone working within the mobile ecosystem on how to adapt and respond to the climate emergency.
This informative and objective overview allows mobile operators, customers, partners and suppliers to take ownership of their emissions, kickstart efforts to reduce them and explore what actions the industry is collectively taking to limit global warming to 1.5C.

Mobile Net Zero

This report is the fourth assessment the GSMA has made of the progress of the mobile industry against its ambition to be net zero by 2050.
It provides key recommendations for how mobile network operators, suppliers and governments can work together to accelerate progress across the sector.

The report shows 70 operators, representing nearly half of global connections, have committed to science-based targets intended to rapidly reduce their direct and indirect carbon emissions by 2030. Fifty-three operators have also committed to net zero targets by 2050 or earlier.

A growing number of operators are publicly disclosing their climate impacts. 70 mobile network operators representing over half of mobile connections globally disclosed to the CDP in 2023, compared with 67 operators in 2022 - a record number of operators (19) received an A score in 2023.

The Role of Digital and Mobile-Enabled Solutions in Addressing Climate Change

This report discusses seven themes that cover the use of digital technologies in enabling clean energy and energy efficiency; transport, mobility and logistics; natural resource management and forestry; agriculture; managing water solutions; waste management and circular economy solutions; disaster preparedness and response.

Frequently Asked Questions

Taking action to reach net zero can be difficult. There are lots of questions and it’s not always easy to find the answers. We have collated the questions we are most often asked and answered them all in one place.
View FAQs