From 30 November to 11 December 2015, around 40,000 delegates will converge on the largest diplomatic event ever hosted by France and one of the largest climate conferences ever organized – the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP21.
The stakes are high. The aim is to reach, for the first time, a universal, legally binding agreement that will enable us to combat climate change effectively and boost the transition towards resilient, low-carbon societies and economies.
To achieve this, the agreement must focus on mitigation – that is, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to below 2°C – as well adaptation to existing climate changes around the world. Plus, these efforts must take into account the needs and capacities of each country. The agreement will enter into force in 2020 and will need to be sustainable to enable long-term change.
With all this in mind, the French Embassy in Sweden and the Stockholm Environment Institute last week held a joint high-level event on the scientific, economic and policy dimensions of climate change.
I had the chance to participate in the second panel “Towards an agenda for solutions” with a keynote speech from Jens Henriksson, CEO and President, Folksam and panelists from Schneider Electric Sweden, Michelin Nordic and Saint-Gobain Weber and Fores.
My main messages centered on the transforming power of ICT and the fact that when the UN set the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, in the year 2000, there were around 750 million mobile subscriptions globally, while this year – when the new Sustainable Development Goals are to be set by the UN and when COP21 takes place – there are 7.1 billion mobile subscribers. No other technology has scaled like ours, and this is the first time when ICT will have a clear role in sustainable development and climate change efforts. This is an unprecedented opportunity for us and our industry to shape a new global economy with organizations like the UN and governments around the world.
Our industry enables not only smart grids and intelligent transportation but also things like weather alert systems in areas where weather patterns have changed so much that local communities cannot any longer count on the weather patterns they are used to. ICT can also support city operating centers, providing support that connect different city administrations such as emergency services with traffic congestion, including social media inputs from inhabitants, among other solutions. For Ericsson it means that by providing the above offerings – but also ICT infrastructure in general – we can be part of solving climate challenges and creating business opportunities
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