TORONTO – Digitization of Canada’s economy and society, coupled with the right policies, has the potential to support the country’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and a 40% reduction by 2030, according to a new report from researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
The Telus-sponsored report suggests “digitization in Canadian businesses and homes could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 15 to 20 percent” and “incorporating ICT solutions could save 10 times the carbon emissions that they generate in deploying them,” citing research published by the World Economic Forum, Accenture, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and MIT Technology Review, among other organizations.
The report’s authors, from TMU’s public policy and leadership institute The Dais, say Canada “needs more evidence-based analysis and a multi-stakeholder agenda at the intersection of climate and digital policy to identify the right digital solutions that can enable greater efficiencies in energy use and reduction in overall carbon emissions.”
While digital technologies and infrastructure can potentially help to accelerate Canada’s path to net-zero, their adoption “also poses some challenges and trade-offs that policymakers and industry leaders need to consider,” the report says.
“The use of digital technologies can bring efficiency gains in energy consumption, but policymakers and industry leaders must be mindful of potential negative impacts such as increased energy consumption resulting from expanded connectivity and digital adoption. The government should consider linking Canada’s climate and digital goals to better understand the role of resilient and energy-efficient communication networks, as well as the adoption of digital technologies across industries, in enabling a net-zero future.”
The Dais’s report incorporates perspectives garnered through a survey of 17 organizations across various sectors, including agriculture, electricity, banking and real estate, and a roundtable featuring 15 representatives from cross-sectoral stakeholders.
The report makes several recommendations, including: the ICT sector develop and enforce industry standards to achieve net-zero in its operations; government support the transition to a resilient and emissions-free electricity grid; and government assess opportunities to align digital with climate policies, including a climate impact lens for digital policies and performance measures.
Further, the report recommends government and industry jointly support public and private investment in developing and deploying resilient telecommunication networks “to ensure all Canadians maintain connectivity in the face of climate disruptions and expand equitable adoption of emission-reducing technologies across Canada by closing the digital divide through affordable 5G and fixed wireline in rural Canada, including through the effective release and use of spectrum.”
The report’s authors also recommend government and industry jointly launch a federal-provincial-territorial process on digital and climate policy, “to include ongoing engagement with municipal governments, Indigenous organizations, and stakeholders, to build common understanding, create momentum and establish shared commitments across government, industry and civil society stakeholder groups around how digital policies can help Canada achieve its net-zero target.”
