ITU responds to industry call to accelerate work on cleaner

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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has set up a newgroup to work on standards related to the impact of information andcommunication technologies (ICT) on climate change.

The group will focus in particular on the reduction of ICTemissions and how ICTs can assist in cutting emissions in otherindustry sectors such as energy, transportation and buildings.

Since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, in December 1997, thenumber of ICT users has tripled worldwide. It is estimated that theICT sector produces between 2-3% of global greenhouse gasemissions.

But ICTs are also seen as a part of the solution to the climatechange challenge.

A key objective of the Focus Group will be to developinternationally agreed methodologies to describe and estimate theimpact of ICTs on climate change, both directly and through theirapplication in other industry sectors.