I began by asking Robin Mansell, LSE Professor Emerita of New Media and the Internet, to join me in selecting a suitable topic. The shortlist was based on the main debates in the IIC events of the previous six months and included competition, copyright and content, and online harms. In the end we felt that the issue of sustainability, and the role within it of the communications industry, was a globally critical issue and well worthy of examination by our future leaders. We debated the framing of the essay at length. It included five elements: global targets, the policies necessary to meet them, the role of the communications industry, required regulations and structures, and who should pay. The aim was to encourage a broad and comprehensive consideration of the topic.
Once we had agreed on the topic and essay question, we invited four IIC members with expert knowledge to join us on the judging panel.
What was immediately apparent was the often very different approaches entrants had taken to the subject, especially as it related to the communications industry. Some came from a principally national perspective, some focused on the digital industries, while others incorporated a much wider view and forward-looking models. This made judging a particularly challenging as well as rewarding process. However, the winning essay by Nathan Stathis stood out for being both broad and thorough, taking account of the importance of the multistakeholder approach, possible models and mechanisms, and measurement. His opening in particular was powerful and, although subjective, was relevant. The judges felt that Nathan’s essay was especially well written and argued and addressed all of the criteria set.
Nathan Stathis’s winning essay is published in this issue of Intermedia. Below are abstracts and links for the ‘top ten’ submissions to the competition.
Making businesses part of the solution: a collaborative approach to the twin transition
Inês Neves, University of Porto and Morais Leitão
The success of the twin green and digital transition objectives hinges on the role of companies as agents with an important social mission. In contrast to a pessimistic or instrumental view of companies, which has led to the agnostic adoption of frameworks limiting their freedom of action, it is considered that companies must be taken seriously as subjects with fundamental rights. This recognition is a necessary prerequisite for companies to exercise their freedoms in favour of more innovative and equally sustainable solutions. In this essay, we seek to reconcile the assertion that companies are holders of fundamental rights with the legitimacy of imposing limits on their actions. We conclude by highlighting the inadequacy of traditional legal frameworks and the necessity for companies to be involved in the formulation of standards and technical requirements, thus facilitating more sustainable innovation.
Breaking down the barriers to sustainability: opportunities for the communications industry to facilitate the twin transition
Amjad Iqbal, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Digitalisation is revolutionising every sphere of our daily lives. The internet of things (IoT), automated processes, smart gadgets, AI and trends of digital-by-design are improving system efficiency, productivity and scalability. Along with promising outcomes from the digital revolution, there are several environmental and sustainability-centred challenges in front of us. The risks could bloom if we do not monitor their impacts and ensure that digital transformations are environment-friendly and sustainable for the future. The communications industry, connecting more than 95 per cent of the world population and close to 15 billion IoTs via wired or wireless networks, can play a pivotal role to ensure digital transformations are sustainable. This article explores the practicality of a communications industry-backed twin transition (digital and sustainable), appreciates the role of the communication industry in achieving environmental, economic and social sustainability, and highlights the areas of regulatory policies that require attention to supervise emissons, e-waste and technological growth.
Breaking down barriers to sustainability – the twin transition and the communications industry
Zain Ul Abedin, .au Domain Administration
The twin transition is a pivotal movement for sustainable digital transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in this transition by enhancing operational efficiency, reducing emissions and supporting renewable energy integration within the communications industry. However, the adoption of AI also presents challenges, including significant energy demands, high costs and increased pressure on data infrastructure.
While national and global policies drive and support the twin transition, there are notable gaps in policy coherence and a lack of clear, measurable targets. These policy gaps across regions and sectors hinder the effective implementation of strategies, leading to inefficiencies and fragmented efforts that fail to fully exploit AI’s potential in driving the twin transition.
This essay advocates for the adoption of a multistakeholder approach to the twin transition to address these challenges. By involving governments, the telecommunications industry, civil society and the technical community in policy development and implementation, a more balanced, inclusive, effective and unified framework can be established.
Breaking down barriers to sustainability: a review from an e-waste management recycling perspective
Nadia Natasya Azizuddin, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
Ever-growing technological innovation and advancements have significantly improved our daily lives by making information more accessible while faster communication reduces the need to travel from one place to another. Moreover, countless tasks have become more efficient with the integration of digital technologies that streamline processes, reduce manual labour and enhance accuracy in various sectors. Much of the world is currently in the process of a technology transformation towards digitalisation which has profoundly changed the way we do our work, live, learn, socialise and do business. However, the rapid progress of technological advancement, mainly in the production of new upgraded technology, electronic devices and equipment, has triggered significant challenges, particularly in the form of electronic waste or e-waste.
Measuring ICT’s impacts on economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions is essential for an effective decarbonisation policy
Ester Kovandova and Cristina Plata Garcia, Frontier Economics
As part of its race to reach net zero, the European Union requires companies to measure and report the ‘scope 1, 2 and 3’ emissions generated by their activities. However this reporting standard only measures emissions for which a company is directly responsible. It does not account for the spillover effects of one sector’s activities on another sector’s emissions.
The ITU, recognising that these spillovers are particularly significant for the ICT sector, has issued Recommendation L. 1480 which provides a framework for ICT companies to understand and measure their activities’ effects on other sectors’ emissions.
This paper argues that it may be more effective, in terms of informing decarbonisation policy, for these spillovers to be measured at an aggregate sector level, rather than at a company level. This is because the ability to robustly measure such spillover effects at the company level is likely to vary greatly from one company to another. The paper then builds on the ITU Recommendation L. 1480’s methodology by offering an economic modelling approach, based on statistical analysis, to do so.
Read Ester and Cristina’s essay
The success of digital and green transitions can only be achieved by truly linking them in practice by joined-up policymaking
Evie Ioannidi, Vodafone
The digital and green transitions are transforming the way we structure society, challenging our values and unlocking opportunities we could not have imagined a few decades ago. Taking place in parallel as they are, those transformations have the potential to reinforce each other by accelerating the development of sustainable technologies and safeguarding our digital infrastructure from climate change. This is recognised by the term ‘twin transition’ which has been coined to represent this dynamic of interdependency. However, this essay sets out that, despite linking them discursively in reports and whitepapers, the success of both transitions can only be achieved by truly linking them in practice by joined-up policymaking. This will then also need creative approaches to the problem of how we pay for them.
Digitalisation as the link between sustainability and competitiveness: a case study of Europe
Isabel María Álvaro Alonso, Telefónica
We are confronting a climate emergency and environmental degradation that demand immediate attention. The European Union has played a proactive role in establishing ambitious targets to address these urgent challenges. However, the approach taken, characterised by excessive regulation, has led to a phenomenon known as ‘greenlash’, where sustainability is perceived as an impediment to competitiveness. This perception is misplaced; competitiveness and sustainability share common objectives and are highly compatible. To fully realise the synergies between both, digitalisation serves as a crucial lever. Digital solutions promote efficiency, energy transition and the circular economy, among others, thereby accelerating the decarbonisation of the economy while maximising economic benefits. Nevertheless, despite the European Union having coined the concept of the ‘twin transition’, it has not yet unlocked its full potential, limiting the enabling effect of digitalisation and Europe’s competitiveness.
Africa’s dual revolution: pioneering digital and green solutions for a sustainable future
Eden Tadesse, Invicta
This essay explores Africa’s twin transition towards digital and environmental sustainability, focusing on how the continent’s communications industry can drive progress. It highlights the dual objectives of leveraging digital technologies for green initiatives and for enhancing the sustainability of digital infrastructure. Key areas include energy efficiency, renewable energy integration and resource management through digital tools. The essay also addresses barriers such as the environmental impact of digital infrastructure, regulatory gaps, high costs and social inequalities. It underscores the role of comprehensive policies, financial incentives and collaborative initiatives in overcoming these challenges. Through case studies like M-KOPA’s solar solutions and the Africa Data Centres Group’s sustainable practices, the essay demonstrates practical examples of successful integration. Conclusively, it emphasises the importance of innovative solutions, inclusive policies and a commitment to sustainability in achieving Africa’s twin transition and fostering a sustainable future.
The wireless crisis: increasing digitisation while reducing emissions
Dana Cramer, Toronto Metropolitan University
Each sector of the economy, and those sectors’ corresponding regulators, are working to identify opportunities for decarbonisation in the face of the climate crisis. The telecommunications sector is in a unique position within decarbonisation discourse as the green transition has been coupled with the digital transition, thereby making a green and digital twin transition. Not all countries’ decarbonisation policies are able to capture the telecommunications industry. This sector is not a significant emitter directly, however through the indirect effects of greater energy using technologies it has the capacity to enhance carbon emissions. This paper analyses the wireless telecommunications sector’s path to decarbonisation and notes opportunities for both government stakeholders and companies themselves to take in the effort to battle the climate crisis.
Information flows for the twin transition: the triangle of environmental transparency
Lara Connaughton, ComReg
The twin transition promotes the objective that as society becomes increasingly digitalised, it will simultaneously become more environmentally sustainable. While this is a worthwhile objective it is not an inevitability that digital progress will occur in parallel to more environmentally sustainable ways of powering the digital transition. The twin transition will not come about organically and requires both thought leadership from a policy perspective and action from industry. The energy and resource demands required to fuel the digital economy require policies and actions to ensure that the proliferation and enablement of ICT across sectors does not rely on materials and processes which will continue to damage the planet as the default options.
