Redacción
Imagine it is already 23rd June and Río+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development has concluded. What should have been achieved?
On the one hand, promotion of the environmental dimension of sustainability, not as a contribution to sustainable development but as a fundamental and non-negotiable process. This will be possible with the establishment of clear policy commitments in the efficient management of scarce resources such as energy or water and efficient waste management at industrial and local level. These commitments should be established not only in developing countries or to alleviate poverty but at all levels and especially in cities, where most of the world’s population resides.
At Rio+20 it will also be necessary to establish the need to identify new technologies to ensure sustainability in resource consumption. While renewable energy and energy efficiency are already part of global sustainability commitments, new ways of managing resources are required. For example, the intensive use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) enables the efficient management of energy and drinking water networks, the transformation of transport systems and monitoring of the climate and environmental quality, among other things.
In recent years, Telefónica has been working to implement eco-efficiency and sustainability policies in our internal processes and to extend the benefits to our customers. For us Rio+20 is a new opportunity to make our little contribution to a world with scarce resources. Hence our participation in different events at the conference:
– Wednesday, 13th June: Publication of the special issue of “Planet B” (in English) in which Daniela Torres, Head of the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency of Telefónica, explains the contribution of green ICTs to a world with limited resources.
– Thursday, 14th June: announcement of the agreement between Telefónica/Vivo and Huawei to carry out 4G connection tests in Riocentro, the main stage of Rio+20.
– Friday 15th June: launch of the application Rio+20 Vivo, developed by Telefónica/Vivo, as a guide to the summit in real time.
– Sunday 17th June: Presentation of the document Sustainable Energy for All: The Business Opportunity developed by Global Compact and Accenture in collaboration with companies such as Telefónica. In particular, our contribution has focused on highlighting the priorities for the ICT industry in this area, along with the levers, objectives and types of engagement needed to achieve them.
– Sunday 17th June: Sergio Yamada, from the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency of Telefónica, takes part in the panel “Looking Into the Future of Sustainability: An Approach to Sustainable Cities and Renewable Energy”, organised by the Spanish Global Compact Network as part of the Corporate Sustainability Forum. Acciona, Agbar, BBVA, Endesa and Telefónica present their case studies on smart cities.
– Monday 18th June: Sergio Yamada, Project Manager at the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency of Telefónica, S.A., and Juliana Limonta, Sustainability Manager at Telefónica/Vivo, take part in the meeting with the Secretary of State for the Environment of Spain, Federico Ramos de Armas. At the meeting they will be explaining the company’s activities regarding energy and sustainability.
– Tuesday 19th June: Leila Loria, Director of Regulatory and Institutional Affairs at Telefónica/Vivo participates in the panel “Broadband and ICTs for smart, inclusive and sustainable societies”, organised by the Ministry of Telecommunications of Brazil and the ITU. At the meeting, we will be talking about green ICT services and applications in smart cities to promote global sustainable economic growth through networks, buildings and transportation systems.
Also participating in this debate, focused on the role of ICTs in advancing towards a green economy, will be representatives from the ITU, UNESCO, Microsoft and Ericsson, among others.
– Thursday 21st June: Sergio Yamada, Project Manager at the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency of Telefónica, S.A., and Juliana Limonta, Sustainability Manager at Telefónica/Vivo, are taking part in the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain, Miguel Arias Cañete, to analyse the contribution of Spanish companies in the context of the overall agreement to be reached at Rio+20.
– Thursday 21st June: public commitments made by companies such as Telefónica with Sustainable Energy for All.
Telefónica will also be attending events in the sustainability and ITC sector to be held during the Conference, such as Rio+Social and Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum.
Click here for information on Telefónica and green ICTs.
