Session
Organizer 1: Christine Or, DotAsia Organisation
Organizer 2: Jennifer Chung, DotAsia Organisation
Organizer 3: Phyo Thiri Lwin, yIGF Myanmar
Speaker 1: Tam Maggie, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Audrey Tang, Government, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Edmon Chung, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Jennifer Chung, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Christine Or, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Phyo Thiri Lwin, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min
What are the policy recommendations to achieve an EcoInternet?
What are the key factors and challenges to effective collaboration between government and industry in policymaking and implementation to monitor and reduce the environmental impact caused by booming digitalisation?
What are the main reasons of Asia Pacific region lagging behind in “greening” the Internet or other green initiatives, and how do we strategise in order to keep up with other regions e.g. Europe and North America.
Connection with previous Messages:
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.b
8.2
8.4
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
13.2
13.3
Targets: The proposed session will discuss policy recommendations in 3 aspects, which are considered in the EcoInternet Index model:
- The Economy aspect is related to Targets 8.2 and 8.4. According to our research, although the Internet’s carbon footprint continues to rise, it is undeniable that digital economy has replaced much of the physical and traditional trade and commerce, which are way more carbon-heavy.
- The Energy aspect is related to most of Target 7. By studying the grid emission factor and energy mix of each jurisdiction, it is believed that the use of renewable energy by Internet infrastructure and operations must be increased substantially in order to cope with the continuous surge of Internet use.
- The Efficiency aspect is related to Target 9. By improving the infrastructure and connectivity, the efficiency of the Internet will be increased, implying the unit cost will be lower. This will benefit a broader population and a greater social justification.
Overall linkage of the session with the SDGs will be Targets 13.2 and 13.3. One of the main objectives of the proposal and the project is to facilitate strategic planning and policy making to tackle environmental impact caused by the Internet. By organising sessions on global platforms, we promote and advocate for the Internet’s sustainability.
Description:
Building from last year’s session on the EcoInternet Index, the research on how various factors (i.e. Energy, Efficiency and Economy) affects the Internet-environment relationship continues and the new phase of this project will be extended to 15 or more jurisdictions across Asia Pacific including some least developed countries. Based on the studies and discussions with subject-matter experts, the approach to evaluate the environmental impact related to the digital explosion is more complicated than simply identifying the carbon footprint of the Internet or a specific online activity for direct comparisons among jurisdictions, which can be misleading and debatable in many ways. Measuring the definitive amount of the Internet’s carbon footprint, as it naturally increases along with increasing usage, may not depict the real situation of its eco-friendliness, but instead, looking at how the accelerating growth of the Internet significantly replaces some traditional activities or industries which are way more carbon-heavy, can provide meaningful outcomes for policy directives and decisions.
That said, it is foreseeable that the Internet usage will continue to surge, and therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the sustainability of the Internet network and infrastructure are included or even highlighted in the consideration and decision of any climate agenda and action plan. As our pilot study report pointed out, government and industry are the 2 key sectors which can create major influence on any fundamental and infrastructural changes to improve the energy efficiency of the Internet. We intend to facilitate a multistakeholder dialogue especially with these two sectors to reflect on the concerns around sustainability and address the obstacles faced in Asia Pacific region, to discuss how to collaborate in policy making to achieve the most beneficial results, and to invite other stakeholders to exchange views and ideas.
A concrete and practical framework for government and the industry to collaboratively tackle the environmental impact in relation to digital technologies, suggestions for effective policies and action plans to enhance the sustainability of the Internet infrastructure, as well as possible solutions to overcome any obstacles, are the expected outcomes from the session.
The speakers may exchange their views on the methodology of the EcoInternet Index, the advantages and shortcomings of such an approach, what we can learn from the results and how it can be further improved and developed.
Policy recommendations from the discussions and comments to our study will be input to the research report of our project EcoInternet Index 2022-23.
Hybrid Format: A well-balanced speaking time given to onsite and online speakers, and equal opportunities for onsite and remote participants to raise questions and comments are key to the hybrid model. Our onsite and online moderators of the session have experience in facilitating a hybrid session. They will coordinate smoothly to manage the questions raised by the on-site audience and online attendees from the chat room. The rapporteur will also engage in the conversations in the chat room for a livelier interaction. We would prepare to set up an audio and video connection test with the remote speakers before the sessions if possible.
Usage of IGF Official Tool.