- The potential reductions to reduce the global GHG emissions by 2030 per ICT solution category were estimated to be about 0,6-4% each
- The smart grid category was shown to have the largest reduction potential
According to the Ericsson Mobility Report, ICT solutions such as the Internet of Things (IoT) could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15 per cent by 2030. In the study, existing ICT solutions shown to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were identified in the categories: energy, buildings, transport, travel, work, and services.
The potential reductions to reduce the global GHG emissions by 2030 per ICT solution category were estimated to be about 0,6-4% each. These numbers were derived by dividing the reduction in each category with the corresponding global GHG emissions per sector for 2030. The smart grid category was shown to have the largest reduction potential.
Many ICT solutions mapped
To calculate the ICT potential of each category and then the overall potential was a stepwise procedure. Identified ICT solutions were first gathered into solution categories. A data collection challenge was that ICT solutions often are introduced in combination with other optimizations and improvements. Often, in such cases the potential of the ICT solutions as such could not be obtained.
The ICT solution categories were then mapped onto the global GHG emissions on industry sector level based on data from the World Resource Institute (WRI) for buildings, transport and travel, agriculture, land use, waste, and industry.
The reduction potentials for ICT are applied on forecasted 2030 emissions which are higher than the emissions in 2015. As the world is focusing on reductions of the global GHG emissions, other activities than ICT may very well have led to further reductions making the baseline estimate for 2030 too high.
