Technology: friend or foe in the fight against climate change?

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In recent decades, digitisation has radically transformed our socio-economic system and every aspect of daily life. Today, digitisation must play a conscious role in the face of the climate crisis, the greatest challenge of our time. For this reason, on 16 November, the programme of the COP29 in Baku dedicated a thematic day to digitisation for the first time. The event was attended by over 90 government representatives and more than 1,000 members of the technology and digital industry, including companies, private organisations and international and regional institutions. During the discussion, strategies and goals of the sector in relation to environmental protection and climate change were discussed.

During the digitisation day, topics on the role of digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and industry innovations in global climate action were discussed. At the end of the meeting, participants signed the COP29 Declaration on Digital Green Action, aimed at promoting the development and implementation of digital tools, including AI, in climate policies. It was agreed that the adoption of new technologies is key to tackling the climate crisis. However, concerns were also raised about the environmental impact of such technologies, which, if not managed properly, could further exacerbate the global warming phenomenon.

When discussing the relationship between digital and climate, attention is often focused on the problems associated with this issue. In this respect, data show that the top 200 companies in the digital sector generate almost one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and consume around two per cent of the world's electricity. This figure, already significant, does not include Scope 3 emissions, those indirect along the supply chain, which are difficult to quantify. According to the International Telecommunication Union's "Greening Digital Companies 2024" report, the top ten companies, including Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft and Alphabet (Google's holding company), account for 55% of the sector's emissions and 51% of energy consumption. Although some have adopted policies to use 100% renewable energy, such as Amazon, the overall picture remains critical.

Mitigating the climate impact of digitisation requires action on several levels, including: improving the energy efficiency of infrastructure and devices; using clean energy; reducing emissions along the value chain; extending the life cycle of products; and optimising the recycling of e-waste. It is also crucial to develop more reliable metrics and indicators to assess the impact of these actions. These goals are at the heart of the Declaration on Green Digital Action, presented during the COP29 theme day. The document calls on governments, companies, international and civic organisations to come together to promote digitally aware behaviour, foster digital inclusion and consider digital technologies as allies in the fight against climate change.

Initiatives such as OS-Climate, an open source project promoted by the Linux Foundation, demonstrate the potential of digitalisation for climate. This project aggregates climate, economic and financial data from global sources, offering tools to assess physical risks such as extreme weather events; plan adaptation strategies; and support banks and investors in managing climate risks. In particular, no company can independently collect all the data necessary to develop accurate forecasting algorithms on the effects of climate change. In this context, the collaborative approach of initiatives such as OS-Climate addresses this challenge, providing concrete solutions to protect both companies and communities.

With an increasingly unpredictable climate, advanced technological tools such as drones, supercomputers and smart sensors are revolutionising climate emergency management. Drones monitor weather anomalies, water resources and areas affected by natural disasters. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to use predictive models that identify forest fires or hurricane risks. According to the World Economic Forum, machine learning models not only assess climate risks, but also help to calculate economic losses, driving more informed decisions.

During the COP29 day dedicated to digitisation, the importance of making the most advanced technologies available to ensure the safety and security of people was emphasised. Umayra Taghiyeva, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, reported that in 2024 her country experienced more than one hundred flood and heat wave events, highlighting how early warning services were crucial in dealing with these climate events. According to estimates, a only 24-hour warning can reduce potential damage by 30%. Taghiyeva confirmed that the Early Warnings for All warning service has significantly decreased calls to emergency services for heatstroke and sunstroke.

The 'Early Warnings for All' programme, promoted by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in cooperation with various agencies, aims to protect the population from dangerous weather and environmental events. These systems, already implemented in some countries, have proven to reduce the number of victims and limit the damage caused by extreme weather phenomena such as floods. However, the system still has many inefficiencies, particularly in small island states and developing countries. The initiative received widespread support at COP29, but implementation needs to be improved and expanded in many countries to realise its full potential, linking global resources with local actions to prepare communities for future climate disasters.

COP29 closed with a historic agreement to support the countries most vulnerable to climate disasters. Key targets include:tripling funding to developing countries from USD 100 billion to USD 300 billion per year by 2035; reaching USD 1.3 trillion annually in public and private climate finance by 2035. This new collective quantified climate finance target is a key step towards greater climate equity and global sustainability. An important development is the use of technologies to assess climate risks. In this context, the XNatura Platform by 3Bee Ecosystem offers companies an integrated tool to monitor and manage their impacts and dependencies on nature, enabling them to define tailor-made climate strategies while complying with regulatory compliance.