THE BELTEL TELKOMITALY VENICE ITALY

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THE BELTEL
TELKOM-ITALY VENICE ITALY

• GREEN TECHNOLOGIES for a Better Environment
  and Quality of life
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________
• Presentation by
• Hon. Prof. Margaret Kamar, MP,
• Kenya National Assembly
• Thursday,
  24 September 2009

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OUTLINE

• Introduction
• The Goal of Green Technology
• Information Communication Technology (ICT) and
  Environment
• Challenges in Green Technologies
• Greening ICTS
• What Kenya Has Done in Facilitating ICTs
• Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION

• The importance of the Green Technology (GT)
  Sector has been borne out of the realization that
  to benefit from technology, there is a growing
  need to link it to the overall development
  agenda, to apply it to solve socio-economic
  problems while at the same time protect the
  natural environment in a sustainable manner.
• Although over the years there have been a great
  deal of technological advancements, scientific
  evidence points out that negative aspects
  associated with this advancement that includes
  climatic changes, acid rains, global warming,
  ozone layer depletion, desertification, human
  diseases such as asthma, cancer, droughts and
  flooding among others.

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Introduction cont

• As the 21 st century has dawned as the century
  of the environment, the green agenda in
  technologies has gained momentum in the pursuit
  of green or cleaner technologies that will have a
  lighter impact on the environment.
• The GT includes the use of renewable sources of
  energy that are inexhaustible as they are
  replenished by natural processes such as solar,
  nuclear, hydropower, tides, biomass, bio fuels,
  wind and geothermal

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Pillars of Green Technology

• As climate change associated with green house gas
  emissions such as combustion of fuels (petrol,
  coal and gas)pose serious health threat in the
  21st century, countries are engaged in policies
  that will reduce carbon emissions.
• Notable international dialogues include those
  that saw the signing of the United Nations
  Framework Convention On Climate Change
  (UNFCCC)1992 , at the Rio Earth Summit, the
  Kyoto Protocol (1997) and Montreal Protocol
  (2005).
• Focus is now on the negotiations on post-2012
  treaty that succeeds the Kyoto Protocol which
  expires in 2012, and informing the agenda at
  Copenhagen, Denmark on 7-18 December 2009.

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The Goal of Green Technology (GT)

• Why the Green Technology?
• The GT promises to augment profitability while
• reducing environmental deterioration at the same
  time
• conserving natural resources. Several aspects
  broadly
• inform the GT
• Sustainability meeting the present needs of the
  society in ways that cannot compromise the future
  generations to meet their own needs.
• Cradle to cradle design ending the cradle to
  grave cycle of manufactured products, by
  creating products that can be fully recycled or
  re-used
• Source reduction reducing waste and pollution by
  changing patterns of production and consumption

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Why the Green Technology contd

• Innovation developing alternatives to
  technologies that have been proved disastrous to
  the environment
• Viability creating a centre of economic activity
  around technologies and products that benefit the
  environment, including their implementation and
  creating knowledge that truly protect the
  environment.
• GT thus involves the use of alternative fuels,
  new means of generating energy and energy
  efficiency among other technological innovations
  that meet standards of environmental quality.

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INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) AND
ENVIRONMENT

• ICTs are meant to improve the quality of life of
  the people by facilitating economic, social and
  human development. Their benefits include
• knowledge sharing
• forum for local voices to be heard
• bridge physical and social barriers
• formation of special-interest groups and virtual
  communities
• greater participation and involvement of people
  in activities that protect the environment at
  several levels
• paperless work and better natural resource
  management
• networking

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ICT CONTD

• new efficient working style and productivity
• information exchange
• tool for observation, simulation, and analysis of
  environmental processes by researchers
• effective tool for learning and teaching
• generate information society - a new generation
  of people who are more informed, more sensitive,
  and more involved in the formulation of policies
  that affect their communities, nations and the
  world
• health and medical care e.g., telemedicine
• remote sensing and constant mapping of natural
  resources
• poverty alleviation e.g. trade in knowledge

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ICT CONTD

• environment and disaster prevention - monitoring
  systems, statistical analysis systems, and
  disaster warning systems, and promote
  inter-regional information exchange
• reduce travel times and movement of people, e.g.,
  virtual meetings and
• provide new ways of conducting trade and exchange
  of goods and

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ICT AND ENVIRONMENT

• ICT are not only an integral part of the
  national economy but are critical in enhancing
  sustainable environmental management. This is so
  because
• Help to balance economic, cultural and social
  objectives within society.
• Enhance public and voluntary sector delivery
  through providing increased value and more
  effective service for the citizen, whilst
  enabling more efficient use of resources.
• Break down barriers and reconnect people in
  disadvantaged groups and communities to the
  mainstream economy.
• Ensure individuals and disadvantaged groups have
  the skills to participate and benefit from the
  growing knowledge society.

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ICT AND ENVIRONMENT CONTD

• As reliance on ICTs by modern information and the
  industrial society grows, so does the greenhouse
  gases due to the energy intensive nature of the
  ICTs and in turn the emission of carbon dioxide
  gases.
• The ICT industry accounts for 2 of the global
  carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the
  aviation industry.
• ICT components and products have been associated
  with pollution of land, water, and air.
• United States Environmental Agency, estimates
  that discarded e-waste in US represents only 2
  percent of total municipal waste by weight, but
  accounts for 70 percent of the heavy metals and
  40 percent of the lead in landfills

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ICT AND ENVIRONMENT CONTD

• An estimated 30 million computers are thrown out
  in US annually, and only about 14 percent are
  recycled.
• Landfills leach toxins into groundwater and
  incinerators emit toxic air pollutants including
  dioxins.
• ICT equipment has further been shown to
  contribute to indoor air pollution.
• As the access to ICT resources widens the gap
  between rich and poor, resulting to perceived
  significant social tensions.

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ICT AND ENVIRONMENT CONTD

• Green ICT Strategies is therefore about how to
  use computers and telecommunications in a way
  which maximizes environmental benefit, with
  minimum energy and materials use
• The positive contribution of ICTs on the
  environment cannot be underscored in their
  potential to reduce consumption of paper through
  paperless work environment e.g., in offices and
  office operations e.g. via electronic document
  flows.

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CHALLENGES IN GREENING TECHNOLOGIES

• High upfront investment costs
• Legal and institutional frameworks to support
  green technology investments are still
  inadequate
• There is limited technical and institutional
  capacity in the public and private sectors to
  implement and manage the technologies in most
  countries
• Financing mechanisms to support investments and
  to address the affordability inappropriate and/or
  inadequate
• There is limited awareness of the availability,
  benefits and opportunities in green technology
  within the public domain who are the customers

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CHALLENGES CONTD

• There are inadequate standards and quality
  assurance for most GT
• Lack of capacity-building measures e.g.,
  training, research and development, and
  technological transfer in the sector
• Inadequate integration of GT issues in the
  policies
• Lack of regional and international cooperation to
  support investments in GT
• Inadequate stakeholder participation in the
  development and implementation of GT projects and
  policies.

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GREENING ICTS

• Waste recycling as a solution to e-waste problem
• Develop green standards
• Improve energy efficiency in ICT
• Fibre optic cabling, reduce power consumption
  from 90 to 60
• Green credentials, to attract and retain
  qualified professionals, and commitments
• Reuse ICT components
• Policy framework for the development and
  implementation of GTs

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WHAT THE KENYA GOVERNMENT HAS DONE TO FACILITATE
ICTS

• TEAMs to reduce bandwidth cost
• Assembly of Madaraka PC
• Terrestrial Optic Fibre Network to increase
  access
• Enabled Several Last Mile Technologies
• Introduced Technology Neutral Licensing Regime
• Liberalized Telecommunications leading to lower
  telephone cost
• Removed of taxes and duties on Computers and
  Computer parts
• Creation of Digital Villages (Friday Advert) and
• Provision of Bandwidth to Universities, BPOs and
  Digital Villages.
•  

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CONCLUSION

• The prospects for green technology bring the
  promise of a healthy planet.
• GT is an initiative that informs efforts toward
  sustainability, and provides a forum that policy
  makers can share ideas with industrialists who
  are developing and distributing Green
  Technologies.
• GT provides unique opportunities for green job
  creation, enhancement of the health and
  well-being of the nation.
• Countries should act to stimulate the economy and
  apply resources from ICT to the cleanup of the
  environment and the development of green
  technology industry.

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Conclusion Contd

• Invest on green ICT technologies that are
  ecologically sound, socially equitable,
  economically viable, and environmentally
  sustainable.
• Promote knowledge and expertise to make ICT
  production in the world safe, sufficient,
  profitable and sustainable through the
  development, promotion and adoption of green
  technologies.
• Venue for the sharing and exchange of innovative
  and promising green technologies.
• Industrialists need accurate, relevant and recent
  information made available to them to make
  decisions and to ensure their actions are
  environment friendly.