27 March 2009: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Climate Change has developed standardized methodologies to calculate the impact of ICTs on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Focus Group, created by the ITU to work on standards to help reduce GHG emissions from ICTs, developed the methodologies during its third meeting held from 24-27 March 2009, in Hiroshima, Japan. The methodologies aim to calculate the energy usage and carbon impact of ICT lifecycles, and the GHG emissions reductions that can be achieved with ICTs.

Highlighting the potential impact of ICTs on climate change and the importance of the Group’s work, Malcolm Johnson, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, noted that “common approaches to calculating the impact of ICTs are vital to ensure coherent and effective solutions.” The Focus Group also agreed on a set of deliverables that provide guidance on terms and definitions, including units of measurement to be used. The next step will be to formally issue the Focus Group’s outcomes as ITU-T Recommendations, or standards. [ITU Press Release]