Session
Organizer 1: Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 1: Ruth Schmidt, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Siddharth Goel, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Alban Kwan, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Jenna Manhau Fung, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Siddharth Goel, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Alban Kwan, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Jenna Manhau Fung, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Format
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Our session will use a classroom format, which is best suited for a structured yet interactive learning experience. This setup allows participants to focus on presentations while also engaging in discussions and group activities. The arrangement ensures clear visibility for speakers and materials while fostering an inclusive environment where attendees can actively participate. The session duration is designed to balance information sharing with interactive elements. It will begin with an overview of key topics, followed by guided discussions and brainstorming activities. This structure ensures participants not only gain knowledge but also contribute their perspectives and ideas.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Our session will use a classroom format, which is best suited for a structured yet interactive learning experience. This setup allows participants to focus on presentations while also engaging in discussions and group activities. The arrangement ensures clear visibility for speakers and materials while fostering an inclusive environment where attendees can actively participate. The session duration is designed to balance information sharing with interactive elements. It will begin with an overview of key topics, followed by guided discussions and brainstorming activities. This structure ensures participants not only gain knowledge but also contribute their perspectives and ideas.
Policy Question(s)
How can stakeholders balance innovation and environmental responsibility in energy-intensive tech such as AI and blockchain?
How can policies and global collaborations drive energy-efficient development while ensuring sustainability, accountability, and innovation in energy-intensive technologies?
How can the integration of renewable energy sources and technological best practices be accelerated to reduce the environmental cost of energy-intensive technologies, while balancing performance and scalability?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the environmental impact of emerging technologies and their broader implications. They will explore governance measures at international, national, and local levels, including ongoing research, available impact assessment tools, corporate accountability mechanisms, and existing codes of practice.
The discussion will also examine how sustainability considerations are integrated into broader Smart Nation initiatives and long-term development goals. A key focus will be on the role of impacted communities in shaping sustainable tech policies. The session will actively involve those directly affected by environmental harm, ensuring their perspectives guide the discussion.
Beyond advocacy, participants will collaborate on realistic, actionable steps, such as community-led monitoring, policy interventions, and corporate accountability strategies. Their contributions will help shape concrete policy recommendations, ensuring that environmental governance frameworks actively address the harms caused by emerging technologies.
SDGs
Description:
The tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability is intensifying as emerging technologies drive unprecedented energy consumption. From 2015 to 2024, the world experienced its warmest decade, with Asia being the most disaster-affected region in 2023. Meanwhile, AI, blockchain and cloud computing are consuming vast amounts of electricity, water and critical minerals exacerbating environmental stress. AI infrastructure alone is projected to use six times more water than Denmark. Furthermore, data centers concentrated in the Global North fuel disproportionate environmental harm in the Global Majority through resource extraction and e-waste dumping, worsening ecological crises in already vulnerable regions. While emerging technologies have the potential to support climate action, they must be designed and governed sustainably. This requires integrating climate justice, Indigenous knowledge and community self-determination to prevent green extractivism and digital colonialism. Effective governance must operate across all levels combining global initiatives with enforceable policies and community-led oversight. Transnational efforts such as the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) and the Paris AI Action Summit have initiated global engagement, but sustained momentum is crucial. Meaningful participation from youth, Indigenous communities, and civil society in decision-making spaces is essential to ensuring equitable and just environmental governance. This session will bring together experts, policymakers, and impacted communities to examine: The environmental impact of emerging technologies, The effectiveness of governance measures and oversight mechanisms, and The role of public participation in shaping sustainable policies. As an outcome, participants will contribute to a policy report with concrete recommendations addressing both Global North accountability and Global Majority-led governance models. Given the disproportionate impacts on the Global Majority, the session will critically explore whether policies should focus solely on holding the Global North accountable or also empower Global Majority nations to lead in shaping equitable environmental governance.
The tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability is intensifying as emerging technologies drive unprecedented energy consumption. From 2015 to 2024, the world experienced its warmest decade, with Asia being the most disaster-affected region in 2023. Meanwhile, AI, blockchain and cloud computing are consuming vast amounts of electricity, water and critical minerals exacerbating environmental stress. AI infrastructure alone is projected to use six times more water than Denmark. Furthermore, data centers concentrated in the Global North fuel disproportionate environmental harm in the Global Majority through resource extraction and e-waste dumping, worsening ecological crises in already vulnerable regions. While emerging technologies have the potential to support climate action, they must be designed and governed sustainably. This requires integrating climate justice, Indigenous knowledge and community self-determination to prevent green extractivism and digital colonialism. Effective governance must operate across all levels combining global initiatives with enforceable policies and community-led oversight. Transnational efforts such as the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) and the Paris AI Action Summit have initiated global engagement, but sustained momentum is crucial. Meaningful participation from youth, Indigenous communities, and civil society in decision-making spaces is essential to ensuring equitable and just environmental governance. This session will bring together experts, policymakers, and impacted communities to examine: The environmental impact of emerging technologies, The effectiveness of governance measures and oversight mechanisms, and The role of public participation in shaping sustainable policies. As an outcome, participants will contribute to a policy report with concrete recommendations addressing both Global North accountability and Global Majority-led governance models. Given the disproportionate impacts on the Global Majority, the session will critically explore whether policies should focus solely on holding the Global North accountable or also empower Global Majority nations to lead in shaping equitable environmental governance.
Expected Outcomes
Understanding the environmental impact of emerging technologies (energy use, water consumption, e-waste).
Attendees will learn about existing global, national, and local regulatory frameworks, oversight mechanisms, and corporate accountability measures addressing sustainability in technology.
Exploration of mechanisms for holding technology companies accountable for their environmental impact through regulations, corporate responsibility frameworks, and public advocacy.
Empowerment of youth and civil society to actively participate in decision-making processes and drive grassroots initiatives for sustainable technology adoption.
Hybrid Format: To ensure a fully engaging hybrid session, we will integrate both onsite and online participants through a structured yet interactive approach.
Facilitating Interaction: We will have a dedicated on-site moderator who will monitor in-person and online moderators who will facilitate online engagement, ensuring equal participation. Online attendees can ask questions via Zoom’s Q&A/chat or Slido, which the moderator will relay to the speakers. In-person participants will also interact directly with online speakers.
Session Design: The session will combine live presentations, and breakout discussions to maintain engagement across both formats. Online attendees will be encouraged to contribute through real-time discussion boards, ensuring their input is considered in policy recommendations.
Additional Tools: We will use platforms like Slido to enable real-time brainstorming and collaboration between onsite and online participants. These tools will ensure seamless interaction, making the session inclusive and dynamic for all attendees.