GSMA Launches Green Manifesto for the Mobile Industry
By Gsma, PRNETuesday, November 17, 2009
Outlines how the Mobile Industry can Lower Emissions in Other Sectors by Over 4.5 Times Mobile's own Footprint
HONG KONG, November 18 - Today at the Mobile Asia Congress, the GSMA unveiled Mobile's
Green Manifesto, developed in collaboration with The Climate Group. Rob
Conway, CEO and Member of the Board, GSMA, was joined at the launch by China
Mobile's Chairman Wang Jianzhou, Kevin Tao, CEO Huawei Device, and Changhua
Wu, Greater China Director The Climate Group, who outlined their existing
environmental undertakings and goals for the future.
The Green Manifesto sets out how the mobile industry plans to
lower its greenhouse gas emissions per connection, and demonstrates the key
role that mobile communications can play in lowering emissions in other
sectors and industries. It makes specific policy recommendations for
governments and delegates attending the United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen (COP15), December 7-18, to realise the full
potential of the role that mobile communications can take in reducing global
greenhouse gas emissions.
Through the Green Manifesto, the mobile industry outlines its goals;
- To reduce its total global greenhouse gas emissions per Connection[1] by 40% by 2020 compared to 2009. This forecast covers all emissions from energy sources under the control of the mobile operators, including energy consumption from the radio network, buildings, and energy consumption and emissions from transport. - The mobile industry is aiming for carbon neutral growth. The number of mobile connections is set to rise by 70% to 8 billion by 2020 as the industry builds out a new generation of mobile broadband networks, bringing billions of people into the information economy. Despite this growth, the mobile industry forecasts that, through its activities, its total emissions will remain constant at 245 mega-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e) - equivalent to 0.5%[2] of total global emissions in 2020, or the greenhouse gas emissions of the Netherlands. - To work with handset vendors to ensure that the energy consumed by a typical handset, in standby and while being used, is reduced by 40% by 2020. - To work with equipment vendors to ensure that the life cycle emissions of network equipment components are reduced by 40% by 2020.
"With the right public policies in place, the mobile industry
can make a major contribution in the fight against global warming, lowering
emissions in other sectors by more than 4.5 times mobile's own footprint,
which is the equivalent of taking one in every three cars off the road," said
Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board, GSMA. "The mobile industry could
enable greenhouse gas emission reductions of 1,150 Mt CO2e in 2020 - twice
the present emissions of the United Kingdom. We will be calling upon
governments at COP15 to ensure that mobile solutions are at the forefront of
the global fight to prevent climate change and mitigate its consequences."
"Wasting energy is just that - a waste. Mobile technologies
are at the forefront of a new energy information revolution and have a major
role to play in helping individuals and businesses cut their emissions and
save money by making it easier to monitor and manage energy use," said Steve
Howard, CEO, The Climate Group. "Using our phones to cut energy in our homes
and offices, from electric cars and solar panels, to washing machines,
fridges and TVs is not rocket science and could soon become as commonplace
and simple as sending a text."
Within the Green Manifesto, the mobile industry calls upon
governments to sign a successor to the Kyoto Protocol and to establish
binding global long-term targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions. Following from a new treaty, emissions reduction policies must be
implemented or continued at a country, state and/or regional level.
Greenhouse gas cap and trade schemes should deliver a stable and effective
long-term price for carbon to stimulate innovation and the green economy.
Conway continued: "The mobile industry globally is taking
great strides towards improving its own energy efficiency and enabling other
industries to do the same. As the findings from our Asian Observatory
research show, over the next five years an additional 1 billion connections
are expected to be added as the Asia Pacific market is projected to exceed 3
billion connections in 2013. It therefore seems pertinent to launch the Green
Manifesto in the Asia Pacific region, world's largest mobile market - which
has the potential to make such a huge and positive impact in terms of the
green goal that we are striving to achieve."
A video interview can be found on Mobile World Live:
www.mobileworldlive.com
The report can be found at:
www.gsmworld.com/greenmanifesto
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile
communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800
of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the
broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies,
equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment
organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new
opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth
of the mobile communications industry.
For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new
online portal for the mobile communications industry, at
www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at
www.gsmworld.com
[1] Connections do not include Machine to Machine SIMs
[2] Irbaris analysis; SMART 2020, The Climate Group and GeSI, 2008
About The Climate Group
The Climate Group (www.theclimategroup.org) is an independent,
not-for-profit organisation working internationally with government and
business leaders to advance smart policies and technologies to cut global
emissions and accelerate a low carbon economy. Its global coalition of
companies, states, regions and cities around the world recognise the economic
and environmental imperatives of taking decisive action now. The Climate
Group was founded in 2004 and has operations in Australia, China, Europe,
India and North America.
GSMA: Richard Fogg: +44-7887-845-236; Daniel Lowther: +44-7747-636-687, press at gsm.org. For more information please contact Lauren Bird, Senior Press Officer, The Climate Group +44-(0)207-960-2982, lbird at theclimategroup.org
Tags: Asia, GSMA, Hong Kong