Every year since 1995, decision makers have gathered to negotiate for the future of our planet through the so-called Conference of the Parties, or COPs, hosted by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year, COP30 is being held 10-21 November in Belem, Brazil – the gateway to the Amazon forest.
As COP29 in Baku wrapped up last year, expectations were set high for COP30 – a pivotal moment in history, marking 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement and 30 years of COPs. COP30 has been named the “delivery COP”, indicating an expectation of turning promises into action.
COP29 demonstrated forward thinking by making commitments to scale up promises of climate finance, and by recognising the role of digital technology with the inaugural digitalisation day – a thematic day dedicated to the huge potential for digital tools to transform climate action. With the evolution of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain and IoT and improving mobile penetration, mobile and digital technologies offer great potential to address climate challenges.
For this year’s COP, the focus has been divided into six key themes:
- Transitioning Energy, Industry and Transport
- Stewarding Forests, Oceans and Biodiversity
- Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems
- Building Resilience for Cities, Infrastructure and Water
- Fostering Human and Social development
- Unleashing Enablers and Accelerators (including financing, technology and capacity building)
These themes are spread over the two weeks, and digital technologies has the potential to transform all of them. This blog aims to highlight some of the ways in which this is being done.
Transitioning Energy, Industry and Transport
At COP28 in Dubai, countries hit a milestone when they agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels” for the first time. The agreement outlined that this needs to be achieved in a “just, orderly and equitable manner” which has been criticised due to it not putting enough pressure on countries to implement the agreement with specified timelines and actionable steps.
For such a just transition to take place, it requires a whole system approach that goes beyond merely cutting fossil fuel demand and supply. Digital tools are already proving to be a piece of the puzzle by enhancing both on-grid and off-grid systems across Africa and Asia. In on-grid contexts, digital technologies like smart meters, IoT sensors and mobile platforms enable utilities to monitor grid performance in real time, reduce losses, manage demand more efficiently, and offer flexible payment options – improving reliability and customer service, especially in underserved urban areas. In off-grid areas, mobile money, PAYG models and remote monitoring systems are making decentralised solar and mini-grid solutions more affordable, scalable, and sustainable – enabling a transition to renewable alternatives.
Looking at the mobile industry, energy efficiency remains a top priority. Mobile network operators are actively working to reduce their emissions by shifting to renewable energy and decarbonising regional grids. During the period of 2019 to 2023, operational emissions fell by 8% while mobile connections rose 9% due to progress in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Read more about the mobile industry’s road towards net zero by 2050 here.
Stewarding Forests, Oceans and Biodiversity
This year, COP will for the first time take place in the heart of the Amazon. The choice to put decision makers in an area where the impacts of climate change is felt the most sends a clear signal of where our priorities should be. The effects on nature and ocean are clear, and even though there are separate multilateral meetings negotiating international commitments on these areas, they cannot be treated in isolation and should be at the centre of climate change discussions.
From a digital perspective, popular use cases in nature restoration and conservation include real time monitoring and data collection, engaging and informing communities and data management and analysis. Most of the innovative solutions analysed in GSMA research (90%) use a combination of two or more technologies, for example by combining bioacoustics or camera traps with IoT sensors or AI.
Source: The Nature Tech Nexus: Bridging biodiversity and business p.23
In the context of oceans and blue economy, digital technologies are being particularly useful for monitoring and preservation activities aimed at strengthening marine ecosystems. Emerging technologies can improve the management of maritime resources, managing risks and scaling impact. But despite advancements of digital innovation in the blue economy ecosystem, adoption is still uneven across sectors and regions and solutions mainly originate in the global north.
In the context of nature and oceans, the connection between nature and people becomes undeniably clear, something which was highlighted at last year’s UN Biodiversity COP16 with the establishment of the new permanent subsidiary body under Article 8 (j) of the UN Biodiversity Convention. Indigenous peoples and local communities have historically been the guardians of the world’s natural resources and it is therefore particularly important to involve community actors in the design, planning and implementation of projects, especially in sectors where the use of digital technology is fairly new, and solutions often originate from other areas of the world. For project developers, it is necessary to understand the technical and structural barriers that local communities face. As such, high-tech solutions are not always the best option with low-tech solutions often being more or equally relevant for reaching communities and delivering impact.
Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems
Smallholder farmers play a significant role in global food production but are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. At the same time, agriculture is a major driver of climate change due to activities such as deforestation and high levels of GHG emissions. Globally, it is estimated that 40% of our land is already degraded. For land to be able to feed us efficiently, it needs to be healthy and productive and for that, we need to reduce emissions and work with more sustainable ways to grow crops.
Digital agriculture solutions are improving food production and supply chains by increasing efficiency, traceability, and sustainability. Solutions like precision farming and market platforms help farmers boost yields, lower environmental impacts, and make food systems more resilient.
For smallholder farmers, this offers a huge potential. However, there are still barriers to adopting and scaling of these solutions, particularly in LMICs. As highlighted by GSMA research, successful digital agriculture solutions need to be user-centric. Smallholder farmers often have limited access to finances and resources. Properly understanding farmers’ realities helps agri-tech developers offer relevant services that are tailored to their current practices and needs. For project developers, using a balanced approach which is focused on the digital solutions core features and prioritising UX principles is crucial, especially for users with limited digital skills operating in areas with low connectivity.
Building Resilience for Cities, Infrastructure and Water
Cities in LMICs are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, whilst contributing the least the problem. It is also these cities, and notably smaller cities of less than a million that are set to account for a significant proportion of the growth of the urban population. On the flip side, many cities serve as hubs for innovation, the introduction of new ideas, experimentation, and the development of technological applications. This can produce successful new business activity, but it can also be a catalyst for improvements in urban service delivery, urban planning, and support cities’ climate transitions.
The expansion of mobile connectivity has contributed to the development of digital solutions that increase the accessibility, affordability, reliability, and sustainability of essential urban utility services. These solutions are revolutionising how cities build resilience against challenges such as population growth, climate change, and inequality and given rise of the concept of smart cities. Recent advances in mobile connectivity, Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) networks, digital payment systems, AI and digital twins have profoundly expanded what smart cities can accomplish, particularly in LMICs. These technologies make it possible to monitor infrastructure in real time, automate service delivery, and personalise citizen engagement at scale.
Fostering Human and Social Development
Climate change is considered a risk multiplier as it exacerbates existing challenges such as unemployment and access to finance, health issues and gender inequalities.
Using the health sector as an example, where climate change brings with it increased risks of diseases like cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, especially in communities already facing humanitarian crises. Poor water and waste management during floods can trigger public health emergencies, while displacement and weakened healthcare systems intensify humanitarian needs.
Digital technology is transforming healthcare in LMICs by providing access to medical data, electronic health records, telemedicine and health apps. Despite these advances, there’s limited knowledge on how digital and mobile technology can help health systems adapt to climate change—especially in LMICs. Facilities and health workers must be prepared for climate-related threats, but training and education on climate-health issues are often lacking. To plan for bigger climate hazards, health authorities can integrate digital technology to strengthen risk monitoring, and early warning systems to communicate climate information, and track adaptation efforts.
In the context of human and social development, fully understanding the local challenges is a key component. When climate tech solutions are designed and funded in line with the principles of locally led adaptation, they can help devolve decision making, confront structural inequalities and channel finance. They can also build local capabilities by offering platforms for training, enabling the combination of scientific and traditional knowledge to strengthen risk understanding and real-time monitoring that communities can interpret and base decisions on.
Unleashing Enablers and Accelerators (including on financing, technology and capacity building)
Climate finance
COP29 was known as “finance COP” where climate finance was at the heart of negotiations, and commitments were made to triple the amount of climate finance going to poorer countries to $300 billion a year by 2035. Although the commitment at COP29 was celebrated by some, it was also heavily criticised, with many stating that this was far from enough. Reports also show that climate finance rarely reach local communities, with some estimating that the number is less than 10%.
Tools such as digital marketplaces and mobile money can enable underserved communities like smallholder farmers, who otherwise would be left out of the financial system to collect data on farming activities, build credit profiles and provide them access to loans, credit and insurances. More advanced tools like blockchain and digital monitoring, reporting and verification systems are also set to have a transformative impact in areas such as the carbon markets by enhancing transparency, cutting costs and building investor confidence.
Emerging technologies and Artificial Intelligence
Climate tech solutions in climate finance and elsewhere now use advanced technologies such as blockchain, IoT, AI and machine learning to solve some of our most pressing challenges. With the recent developments in AI, attention has turned to how this can be leveraged also to address climate challenges. One example is in the context of mobile-enabled early warning systems. These systems are used to deliver alerts for climate-related events and disasters such as heatwaves and flooding, as well as support post-disaster efforts by collecting information and assisting with response coordination. AI tools can be applied to these solutions to increase their cost-effectiveness and impact. Early-warning systems powered by AI can sift through satellite data, historical weather patterns and IoT sensor feeds to anticipate extreme events. More importantly, they can inform infrastructure decisions like where to build flood barriers or how to optimise evacuation routes, helping communities prepare rather than merely respond.
With high interest from investors to fund good use cases for AI, entrepreneurs in LMICs might feel pressure to align themselves with advanced tech to gain visibility and opportunities for further funding, even when simpler, cheaper, more accessible solutions could be better placed to build climate resilience. While AI is indeed a powerful tool, its impact will depend on how we deploy it.
Recommendations and looking ahead
Looking at the six thematic areas for COP30 in the context of digital technology, several common barriers emerge. For policymakers, COP30 is an opportunity to act and lay the foundations for a more sustainable future.
Here are some key recommendations for policymakers to ensure digital technology can reach its true potential in climate action:
- Understanding local context. If we are not truly understanding the realities on the ground, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Decision-makers should prioritise solutions that are locally led and co-designed with the communities they serve.
- Address barriers to adoption of digital solutions by e.g. improving digital skills and affordability of handsets.
- Accelerate investment and enable climate finance to reach those who need it the most. This can be achieved by increased focus on digitising innovative finance models such as investments in the carbon markets.
- Put policies in place that lay foundations for entrepreneurship and innovation in the context of solving key issues for people and planet. Governments should focus on partnering with the private sector as well as consider instating regulatory sandboxes to allow for experimentation and testing of new solutions.
While the GSMA will not be in Belem in person this year, we are taking part in the global COP30 discussion through a series of events, and our COP social media campaign.
We have produced a comprehensive COP30 hub, where you can access relevant resources which align with each theme at the event.
This initiative is currently funded by UK International Development from the UK government and by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
