Studie der Universität Lancaster, 10.9.2021 (engl. Originalfassung)
To avoid catastrophic consequences from climate change, all sectors of the global economy, including Information Communication Technology (ICT), must keep their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. We examine peer-reviewed estimates of ICT's GHG emissions, which put ICT's share of global GHG emissions at 1.8%–2.8%. We find pronounced differences and much debate concerning the underlying assumptions behind the peer-reviewed studies, which could suggest that global emissions from ICT are as high as 2.1%–3.9%. All study analysts agree that ICT emissions will not reduce without major concerted political and industrial efforts, and we provide three reasons for anticipating that ICT emissions are actually going to increase without intervention. Our analysis suggests not all ICT carbon pledges are ambitious enough to meet climate targets, and that policy mechanisms for enforcing sector-wide climate target compliance are lacking. Without a global carbon constraint, sector-wide regulations are required to keep ICT's carbon footprint aligned with the Paris Agreement. With a global carbon constraint, ICT would be a greater enabler of productivity and utility, creating opportunity for the sector to be financially successful as a critical part of a global net zero society.
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