Background

The Information Communications Technology Council (ICTC) held its inaugural Horizon Digital Future Summit on February 1 and 2, 2022. This paper builds on the conversations held during the summit and explores the relationship between the green and digital economies. In closing the summit, ICTC signed the CIO Strategy Council’s Sustainable IT Pledge, the first-ever commitment by Canadian organizations to cut rapidly rising emissions from digital technologies.1 This builds on ICTC’s existing collaboration with the CIO Strategy Council on the advancement of standards, trust, and resiliency of the Canadian digital economy. Sustainability is central to a successful digital economy, and ICTC looks forward to continuing its work with the CIO Strategy Council and other key partners like Evergreen to ensure a sustainable digital economy for Canada.

The economy is changing rapidly. Work and labour look different now than they did 10 years ago, and the importance of the digital economy is growing. Tech ethics fields are maturing, and global trade and investment patterns are in constant flux. At the same time, it is abundantly clear that our collective wellbeing hinges on tackling climate change, making the global transition to a green economy the most urgent of these changes. Meeting the UNFCC Paris Agreement requires that all industries curb their impact on the environment.

1 “A Connected World Shouldn't Cost the Earth,” 2021, CIO Strategy Council, https://ciostrategycouncil.com/sustainable/

In recent years, internet use and data have dramatically increased energy demand.2 Tech hardware requires significant rare earth mineral extraction, and cloud computing, AI, and cryptocurrencies are increasingly dependent on electricity, often generated by coal.3 The digital economy has an important role to play in building a more sustainable economic system, both by minimizing these harms and by capitalizing on its ingenuity, creativity, and potential.

This report opens the discussion on the intricate relationship between the green and digital economies. The digital economy must play a more active role in advancing a sustainable future. To facilitate change in this area, ICTC and the CIO Strategy Council have joined forces to launch roundtables that investigate the deepening green and digital connection and propose actionable measures to boost sustainability in Canada’s digital ecosystem. This paper sets the foundation for that work. Beginning with an introduction to the green economy and the urgency of the green transition, this paper explores the relationship between the green economy and five key areas: digital foundations, the future of work, tech ethics, intelligent communities, and trade and investment.

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3 Cummings, M., “Surge in digital activity has hidden environmental costs,” January 27, 2021, YaleNews, https://news.yale.edu/2021/01/27/surge-digital-activity-has-hidden-environmental-costs “Digital economy’s environmental footprint is threatening the planet,” September 9, 2019, Queen’s Gazette, https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/digital-economy-s-environmental-footprint-threatening-planet