Four months apart, the European Commission has published three strategies on ecology (the Green Deal), digital technology and industry. They are interlinked and aim to achieve climate neutrality and digital leadership for Europe. Part 2: digital transformation, an essential catalyst for change.
L'actualité sur les impacts économiques, sociaux et environnementaux de la pandémie mondiale du COVID19 ouvre la voie pour redessiner le monde de demain. L'Union Européenne (UE) avait déjà commencé ce travail avec la publication de 3 stratégies et feuilles de route liant écologie, industrie et numérique.
En effet, dans ses orientations politiques, la présidente de la Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, a déclaré que l’Europe devait conduire la transition vers une planète saine et un nouveau monde numérique. Dans ce schéma, la transformation écologique et la transformation numérique constituent deux défis indissociables.
L'Agence du Numérique propose un dossier en de 4 parties pour décrypter les propositions de l'Europe :
- Green Deal européen et numérique (2/4). Transformation numérique
Ce décryptage s'inscrit dans la perspective de la mise en oeuvre de la stratégie numérique Digital Wallonia dont les points de convergence avec les priorités européennes sont nombreux.
Transformation numérique, un catalyseur essentiel du changement
Selon la Commission, les technologies numériques s’avèrent d’une importance cruciale pour atteindre les objectifs fixés par le Green Deal en matière de développement durable et ce dans une grande variété de secteurs.
Le secteur numérique contribuera au Green Deal, à la fois en tant que source de solutions technologiques propres, mais aussi en réduisant sa propre empreinte carbone.
Cette partie a donc pour objectif de mettre en évidence les liens entre numérique et les 8 piliers du Green Deal identifié dans les 3 stratégies : le Green Deal (GD) lui même, ainsi que la stratégie numérique (SN) et la stratégie industrielle (SI) de l'Europe. Dans ces publications la CE a déjà identifié pas moins de 27 actions liées au secteur du numérique.
Digital solutions for implementing the Green Deal
Pillar 1. Reinforcing the EU's climate ambitions for 2030 and 2050
Figure(s): current policies will only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050.
Objective(s): achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission :
- Develop and increase access to data so that investors, insurance companies, businesses, cities and citizens can develop tools to integrate climate change into their risk management (RM) practices.
- Make data centers climate-neutral, sustainable and energy-efficient by 2030 at the latest (SN).
- Implement transparency measures on the environmental footprint of telecommunications operators (SN).
Pillar 2. Providing clean, affordable and safe energy
Figure(s): energy production and consumption by all economic sectors account for over 75% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions.
Objective(s): to build an energy sector based largely on renewable sources, while rapidly abandoning coal and decarbonizing gas.
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission :
- Promote the deployment of innovative technologies and infrastructures, such as smart electricity grids, hydrogen distribution networks, carbon capture, storage and utilization, and energy storage, also enabling sectoral integration (GD).
- Ensure that the European energy market is fully integrated, interconnected and digitized, while respecting technological neutrality (GD).
- Develop digital technologies to monitor and optimize the use of energy and natural resources (GD).
- Increase energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel consumption by adopting a more integrated approach to the product life cycle (SN).
- Better connecting Europe's power systems - A common European energy data space (SN).
Pillar 3. Mobilizing industry for a clean, circular economy
Figures: European industry accounts for 20% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions.
Objective(s): the full commitment of industry players to a circular, climate-neutral economy
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission :
All industrial value chains should :
- Develop low-emission technologies and clean, affordable technological solutions to reduce their carbon footprint and accelerate the transition (GD & SI).
- Develop a fully integrated lifecycle approach, from design to end products and end-of-life (EOL).
- Improve the availability of information on the characteristics of products sold. For example, products could be equipped with an electronic passport providing information on: origin, composition, repair and dismantling possibilities and end-of-life (EOL) treatment.
- Develop new business models that support the decarbonization of our economy (SI).
- Cooperate with various players to create growth markets for clean technologies. Europe must become the world leader in this field (SI).
Europe, countries and/or regions should :
- Launch a Just Transition platform to provide technical support and advisory services to regions and industries with high carbon intensity (SI).
- Encourage industry sectors to define their own roadmaps for climate neutrality or digital leadership (IS).
- Support public-private partnerships to help industry develop the technologies needed to achieve its objectives (SI).
Sector-specific :
- In the healthcare sector (SN) :digitize medical records and bring them together in a European data space to enable more effective treatment of major chronic diseases.make quality healthcare services equally accessible to all citizens.
- Implement fully circular ICT equipment management: ensure that devices are designed to improve their durability and facilitate their maintenance, disassembly, reuse and recycling. It will include a right to repair or upgrade electronic devices in order to extend their lifespan and avoid programmed obsolescence (2021) (SN).
- An EU clean steel strategy and a chemicals strategy for sustainability (SI).
Pillar 4. Energy and resource-efficient construction and renovation
Figure(s): Buildings also account for 40% of energy consumption. Today, the annual rate of renovation of the building stock varies from 0.4% to 1.2% in the member states.
Objective(s): improve the energy efficiency of buildings and make energy costs affordable.
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission: digitization of the building stock, new and renovated buildings, in particular for greater energy efficiency (GD).
Pillar 5. Accelerate the transition to sustainable, intelligent mobility
Figures: transport accounts for 25% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions.
Objective(s): reduce transport sector emissions by 90% by 2050.
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission :
- Promote automated and connected multimodal mobility, in conjunction with intelligent traffic management systems.
- Focus on sustainable, connected and intelligent mobility industries (SI).
Pillar 6: "From farm to table", a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system
Objective(s) : Setting the global standard for sustainability
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission :
- Develop sustainable practices, such as precision farming (GD and SN).
- Better inform consumers, including digitally, about specific aspects such as the origin, nutritional value and ecological footprint of foodstuffs (GD).
Pillar 7. Preserve and restore ecosystems and biodiversity
Objective(s): Propose global biodiversity targets and commitments to address the causes of biodiversity loss in the EU, backed up by measurable objectives.
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission :
- Develop a high-precision digital Earth model (GD).
- Destination Earth, an initiative to develop a high-precision digital model of the Earth (a "digital twin" of our planet) that would improve Europe's environmental forecasting and crisis management capabilities (from 2021).
Destination Earth, an initiative to develop a high-precision digital model of the Earth (a "digital twin" of our planet) that would improve Europe's environmental forecasting and crisis management capabilities (from 2021).
Pillar 8. Zero pollution" ambition for a toxic-free environment
Objective(s) : adopt a "zero pollution" action plan for air, water and soil by 2021.
Digital solutions and actions identified by the Commission : remote monitoring of air, soil and water pollution (GD).
Conclusion
Digital technologies are essential if we are to achieve the targets set out in the Green Deal, i.e. to become climate neutral by 2050. Numerous digital solutions are available to help reduce the environmental externalities of the European economy. On the other hand, digital technology itself is a major source of negative externalities.
The challenge for the digital sector is therefore twofold. Not only must we reduce its impact, but we must also be better able to identify the digital solutions that will bring real added value to the circular economy, by taking into account environmental impacts across the entire value chain.
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About the author.
Fanny Deliège
Agence du Numérique