I think ICT is very important for sustainable development. Through the adoption of E-commerce will lead to a net 2 % per annum reduction in CO2 emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, a good indication of the carbon intensity of an economy, have decreased in most European countries by between 20 % and 50 % in the past two decades. However, it is impossible to determine whether this has been due to ICT applications or a range of other factors.
Decrease in the use of transport
There is evidence of the impact of ICT on travel. E-commerce and telework reduce the need to travel and telematics systems may make car transport more efficient, counter-trends exist, and the balance of benefit to the environment has yet to be established.
Home shopping over the Internet should reduce the need for consumers to make car journeys to shops. The consequent reduction in vehicle emissions would be significant.
Remote working using the Internet to access office systems, for example via Virtual Private Networks or using teleconference and videoconference technology, has been possible for a long time. When promoted by employers, teleworking has been shown to significantly reduce travel miles. One Swedish company with 200 employees has managed to reduce home-to-work travel by 74,000 km a year. One major European - Telecommunications Company now has 4,000 home workers who between them save approximately 12.5 million commuter miles per annum – equating to a saving of 1,000 tones of carbon dioxide emissions.
One means of ensuring more efficient travel patterns for all vehicles is the utilization of telematics systems. The term telematics has evolved to refer to in-car systems that combine Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tracking and other wireless communications including access to the Internet. The most significant application of this technology is Intelligent Traffic Guidance Systems (ITGS). ITGS can plot the quickest or most efficient route from A to B, taking into consideration traffic flow systems such as one-way streets or speed controls and, more importantly, avoiding areas of congested or slow-moving traffic. The effect is to significantly reduce congestion and traveling time, and therefore vehicle emissions. ITGS was shown to reduce traveling time in rush hours by 50% compared to conventional static navigational systems.
The application of ICT in trade, work and travel systems could on balance cut the demands of transport on the environment.
Reduction in the use of paper thus saving trees
The application of ICT can decrease the amount of material products circulating in some areas of the economy. “E-books”, which exist only as downloadable electronic files, are one example: Penguin books planned to have 200 titles available electronically by the end of 2001. The result could be the use of less paper in the publishing industry, less glue for binding, less filler for glossy pages, less freight on the transport network and so on. The technology used by MP3 files similarly could result in the production of fewer CDs..Likewise online banking means that printed statements are no longer
necessary. The energy use of the Internet The Internet is central to hopes for a “weightless” new economy,
References:
[European Information Technology Observatory · E ITO 2002]
[As quoted from Markle Foundation/Accenture/UNDP in ICT and MDG’s: World bank Group Perspective, December 2003]
[United Nations, The World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland
Commission), Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987.]
Decrease in the use of transport
There is evidence of the impact of ICT on travel. E-commerce and telework reduce the need to travel and telematics systems may make car transport more efficient, counter-trends exist, and the balance of benefit to the environment has yet to be established.
Home shopping over the Internet should reduce the need for consumers to make car journeys to shops. The consequent reduction in vehicle emissions would be significant.
Remote working using the Internet to access office systems, for example via Virtual Private Networks or using teleconference and videoconference technology, has been possible for a long time. When promoted by employers, teleworking has been shown to significantly reduce travel miles. One Swedish company with 200 employees has managed to reduce home-to-work travel by 74,000 km a year. One major European - Telecommunications Company now has 4,000 home workers who between them save approximately 12.5 million commuter miles per annum – equating to a saving of 1,000 tones of carbon dioxide emissions.
One means of ensuring more efficient travel patterns for all vehicles is the utilization of telematics systems. The term telematics has evolved to refer to in-car systems that combine Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tracking and other wireless communications including access to the Internet. The most significant application of this technology is Intelligent Traffic Guidance Systems (ITGS). ITGS can plot the quickest or most efficient route from A to B, taking into consideration traffic flow systems such as one-way streets or speed controls and, more importantly, avoiding areas of congested or slow-moving traffic. The effect is to significantly reduce congestion and traveling time, and therefore vehicle emissions. ITGS was shown to reduce traveling time in rush hours by 50% compared to conventional static navigational systems.
The application of ICT in trade, work and travel systems could on balance cut the demands of transport on the environment.
Reduction in the use of paper thus saving trees
The application of ICT can decrease the amount of material products circulating in some areas of the economy. “E-books”, which exist only as downloadable electronic files, are one example: Penguin books planned to have 200 titles available electronically by the end of 2001. The result could be the use of less paper in the publishing industry, less glue for binding, less filler for glossy pages, less freight on the transport network and so on. The technology used by MP3 files similarly could result in the production of fewer CDs..Likewise online banking means that printed statements are no longer
necessary. The energy use of the Internet The Internet is central to hopes for a “weightless” new economy,
References:
[European Information Technology Observatory · E ITO 2002]
[As quoted from Markle Foundation/Accenture/UNDP in ICT and MDG’s: World bank Group Perspective, December 2003]
[United Nations, The World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland
Commission), Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987.]
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