December 08,2009
The German Addendum to the SMART 2020 report: Enabling a Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age is the third in a series of regional reports. The SMART 2020 report is the most comprehensive and widely cited global analysis on how the ICT can enable other industries to reduce their carbon footprints. Based on the foundation of SMART 2020, several regional reports have been launched, with analysis and recommendations according to specific regions. The German Addendum is the first report to recognize a key element necessary to go forward at the national level: the need for a SMART 2020 Alliance.
SMART 2020 (4.5 MB)
The German Addendum to the SMART 2020 report: Enabling a Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age is the third in a series of regional reports. The SMART 2020 report is the most comprehensive and widely cited global analysis on how the ICT can enable other industries to reduce their carbon footprints. Based on the foundation of SMART 2020, several regional reports have been launched, with analysis and recommendations according to specific regions. The German Addendum is the first report to recognize a key element necessary to go forward at the national level: the need for a SMART 2020 Alliance.
This report is the first to identify two areas of innovation for SMART 2020 Alliances: (1) the business case for launching services and solutions and (2) the framework in which the alliance of partners, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, Huawei and Siemens, can collaborate to roll out these services. The German Addendum of the SMART 2020 report conducted primary research of more than 200 cases of existing services and solutions and identified 24 potential areas that justify further development. The business value of this concept can be up to €84 million by the year 2020. In addition to the business opportunities, the environmental case is equally compelling – these offerings represent an opportunity to reduce CO2e emissions up to 24% of the total emissions in Germany. Further to this achieving this goal, the German Addendum also identifies the regulatory, technical, economic and social barriers that need to be overcome as well as which measures need to be undertaken. Therefore, this report can also be viewed as a working paper for government and companies to begin their engagement and achieve the CO2e emission reduction targets.
The global SMART 2020 report stated, “The ICT sector can’t act in isolation if it is to size its opportunity to tackle climate change. It will need the help of governments and other industries. Smart implementation of ICTs will require policy support including standards implementation, secure communication of information within and between sectors and financing for research and pilot projects”. The German Addendum clearly illustrates the next step: the SMART 2020 Alliance. This report delivers a clear message both to business and to the German government: Only with a “SMART Alliance” is it possible to overcome the CO2e emission reduction target set by the German government in 2007 in the Messeberg programme.
Germany is at the heart of the European economy. Acting now by engaging and collaborating to implement the German Addendum of the SMART 2020 report’s findings will be not only beneficial for Europe, but will also show by example, how ICT services and solutions can make a positive impact on a global scale.
What are we waiting for?
Luis Neves
GeSI Chairman
Summary of the report in English (188 kB)
Please note an English version of the report will be available soon.