Can data help us solve the climate challenge?

We are living through a critical moment for the planet's survival: the 3rd industrial revolution has come along with a change in behaviors and consumption patterns with an undeniable impact on the environment. According to the latest report from the French General Commission for Sustainable Development, global CO2 emissions increased by 64% between 1990 and 2017.

This challenge concerns all of us and, without rapid action, the OECD estimates that global average temperatures could rise by 3 to 6 degrees by the end of the century – with devastating consequences on populations and biodiversity.

Orange has set a goal of anticipating the Paris Agreements by 10 years and achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. 2040 is also 10 years earlier than the commitment made by the GSMA, which brings together all the world's major telecom operators. At Orange Business Services, we believe that one way to achieve this is to improve the way we use data and digital technology.

Using data to understand, seize and anticipate

The Covid-19 health crisis we are currently living through has proved it : by providing the scientific community and authorities with accurate models, anonymous data used properly helps health authorities and the government to better understand and analyse the spread of the virus. As a matter of fact, it has allowed them to better forecast the evolution of the epidemic.

The same logic can apply in solving climate issues, notably by making it possible to:

1.   Understand, seize and therefore anticipate climate phenomena. By collecting, cross-referencing and processing billions of pieces of data for the benefit of the scientific community. Which is what we did last year when we launched the Sobloo collaborative platform together with Airbus and Capgemini. Its purpose: to provide easier access for as many people as possible to data from the Copernicus programme (the European Union's Earth observation programme), in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency).

2.   Empower everyone to reduce their impact. The goal being that, together, we can get a better understanding of our own environmental impact and then optimize our digital footprint.

3.   Create technological solutions for greater energy efficiency, by improving natural resource allocaiton and building more sustainable environments.

These data allow us to act with greater agility with regard to our environment and to intervene on a larger scale to preserve it, provided we control the "rebound effects".

To take on this challenge: let's team up!

In order for us to reveal the full potential of data, we, as digital players, must commit to a reasoned and responsible use of data. In this context, at Orange, we have conducted studies and research on the use of data and AI in order to optimize and reduce energy consumption across our infrastructure, but also to develop AI that requires less processing power and therefore less energy.

By leveraging this experience and combining our skills, we shall succeed in meeting the climate challenge. One of the key steps is to foster a dynamic of open innovation and co-construction, not only with our corporate customers, but also with all economic, research and regulatory players and innovative ecosystems.

A dynamic that we have initiated, notably with the creation of the Net Zero Initiative, which brings together major companies, including Orange, in order to establish a carbon neutrality benchmark for organizations; but also by partnering with scientific observatories such as Euro Argo and CREA Mont-Blanc, dedicated to preserving oceans and biodiversity; or via the creation of a "Big Data Energy" community dedicated to sharing research and case studies in the field of data.

When it comes to climate, data is then becoming a critical innovation factor, giving everyone the keys to understand, anticipate and adapt their behavior to respond to the climate emergency. But innovation alone is not enough.

Companies, scientific and regulatory bodies and citizens must then come together to reduce the environmental impact of new technologies. So let's show our solidarity! Every little effort counts and it all starts with simple reflexes that we can adopt on a daily basis. By becoming more responsible and more aware of the digital world, we will be able to tackle the climate challenge together by 2040!