The report aims to raise awareness of the pivotal role that information and communications technology, and particularly broadband networks, can play in creating a low-carbon economy. It highlights the importance of public-private partnerships in accelerating change.
Broadband has been identified as a key area that can boost economic growth, expand access to jobs and training, and support entrepreneurship and small business growth.
A study by the World Bank found that there was a 1,3% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) for every 10% increase in high-speed internet connections.
In SA, the government is targeting 100% broadband penetration by 2020. According to Seacom business development head Aidan Baigrie, broadband connectivity will be one of the major spurs to the growth of African economies over the next decade, but there is still plenty of work to be done in building the telecommunications backbone that will connect the continent to the global village.
The commission's report follows agreements at the United Nations Climate Change Conference last year, and emphasises the kind of transformative solutions that are enabled by broadband. It provides practical examples of how broadband can contribute to reducing greenhouse gases, mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, and promoting resource efficiency, while at the same time building more prosperous and inclusive societies.
Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg, who is also the chairman of the broadband commission's working group on climate change, said broadband's "role in GDP growth, in enabling the Millennium Development Goals and offsetting the effects of climate change, is just now starting to be understood because finally the deployment is there and the benefits can be realised".
"In today's economic climate, societies need to develop, and with a solutions-driven approach to climate change, we can accelerate a new type of green growth while supporting global sustainable development goals," he said.
International Telecommunications Union secretary-general Hamadoun Touré said addressing climate change "implies completely transforming our way of life, the way we work, the way we travel, shifting our model of development to a fairer, more sustainable model to ensure our survival. We need to put at stake all the resources available to us, and mobilise the political will to turn discussions and negotiations into agreements and actions."
According to the commission's website, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal wrote last year that governments can accelerate change in this area by integrating their information and communications technology and climate-change strategies.
Source: Business Day
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