By Alex Baluku
Baku, Azerbaijan – On Saturday, during the COP29 climate conference, global leaders gathered to endorse a declaration pledging to harness digital technology for climate action while addressing its environmental costs. For the first time in UN climate summit history, ‘Digitalisation Day’ focused attention on the ways that digital tools can both drive and complicate sustainability efforts.
The COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action, signed by over 1,000 governments, corporations, and organizations, champions the potential of digital technologies to aid in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Backed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the initiative reflects a growing acknowledgment that digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are increasingly integral to climate resilience efforts, including climate monitoring, early warning systems, and adaptation.
Striking a Balance Between Benefits and Risks
At the same time, however, digitalization poses new sustainability challenges. As technology proliferates, the demands on global resources, electricity, water, and even rare minerals—are rising. Data centers, the “engine rooms” for our increasingly connected world, are notable culprits. Often running 24/7 to support digital services, these centers demand substantial electricity to function and cool their systems. As a result, their carbon footprint is considerable and growing.
A high-level roundtable at COP29 brought together global experts to discuss the need for cleaner, greener tech solutions. Participants debated how to curb the rising environmental costs of digitalization, from the power-hungry nature of AI models to the global e-waste crisis, which grows with each technological advancement.
Green Technology and the Path Forward
The declaration, while ambitious, underlines the need for immediate action to mitigate these environmental impacts. For instance, leaders at COP29 highlighted several ways that technology can be optimized to reduce its carbon footprint. AI, for example, is seen as a valuable tool in cutting energy consumption in digital services. AI algorithms are already being deployed to improve the energy efficiency of data centers by streamlining operations, conserving power, and optimizing cooling processes.
Additionally, the COP29 declaration commits to supporting digital innovation in climate-critical sectors, including energy, agriculture, and water management. “This milestone moment for Green Digital Action at COP29 should propel us forward with the shared belief that we can and must reduce the environmental footprint of digital technologies,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. She further urged stakeholders to sustain this momentum, emphasizing that green tech will be essential as humanity faces increasing climate crises.
Challenges on the Road to Sustainable Digital Transformation
Despite the optimism, significant hurdles lie ahead. In a world of growing digital dependency, the energy consumption of digital services continues to rise. With global temperatures climbing, cooling solutions for data centers are becoming more energy-intensive. Further complicating matters, many data centers are located in regions with already high environmental stress.
The declaration is an essential step, but experts caution that implementing green digital initiatives will require substantial investment and coordinated global policies. There are also calls for the tech industry to focus on developing sustainable and energy-efficient hardware, reducing e-waste, and embracing circular economy practices that minimize environmental impact.
Looking Ahead: COP30 and the Future of Green Digital Action
The commitments outlined in Baku set the stage for deeper discussions and more rigorous actions at COP30. With a global push for sustainable tech, there is hope that the industry can minimize its environmental toll. “Let’s keep building our green digital momentum all the way to COP30, and with it, a more sustainable digital future for generations to come,” Bogdan-Martin said, reiterating that the fight for a greener digital world has only just begun.
As climate and technology stakeholders leave COP29, they carry with them a shared responsibility to ensure that the tools of tomorrow are not only more powerful but also more sustainable.
