Sustainability & AI
ICT sector carbon footprint
The combined emissions of information and communication technology, spanning devices, networks and data centres.
Definition
The aggregate greenhouse-gas emissions of information and communication technology: devices, networks and data centres, across manufacture and use.
Quick reference
At a glance
- Subject
- Sustainability & AI
- Editorial status
- Editorial draft
- Definition status
- Established
- Last updated
- 21 August 2026
References
This source provides part of the technical or institutional basis for the definition.
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Overview
What it means
Sector estimates vary with scope and method; the peer-reviewed literature (e. g. Belkhir and Elmeligi 2018) places ICT in the low single-digit percent range of global emissions, with growth driven by data traffic and AI. ITU-T L. 1470 sets Paris-aligned emission trajectories for the sector, giving it a science-based benchmark.
How it is used
ICT companies use the footprint for target-setting under ITU trajectories and GHG Protocol accounting; policymakers use it to size the sector's role in national inventories and to design efficiency and reporting rules.
Why it matters
AI inherits and amplifies the sector's footprint debate. A credible sector baseline — and a Paris-compatible trajectory — is the reference against which claims that digitalisation 'dematerialises' the economy must be checked.
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