Emerging tech trends such as AI, quantum computing, cloud computing, bio synthesis and more are transforming the world and creating new opportunities and challenges for the energy sector. According to some estimates, data centers alone could consume up to 8% of the global electricity demand by 2030, while crypto mining could generate up to 130 million tons of CO2 emissions per year. How can we balance the benefits of these technologies with the environmental and social costs? How can we design and deploy them in a way that minimizes their energy consumption and maximizes their positive impact on other sectors? In this keynote, I will present an overview of the current and projected energy scenarios for quantum computing, data centers, crypto, AI and other emerging tech domains. I will also discuss some of the best practices and recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of these domains, both from a technological and a policy perspective.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals call for new design approaches to tackle climate challenges such as more and more frequent rainfalls, severe droughts, and heat waves. Even advanced solutions to climate change are often not powerful enough to make a global change. Without a doubt, we need to take urgent action to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In my talk, I refer to today’s climate emergency as a worldwide, collective design challenge that needs action on a local scale. I will elaborate upon the transformative role of design and share lessons learnt from experimentation in and across local labs. The multi-level experimentation not only built knowledge and climate-related capacity but also inspired policy-making processes to take further action.

According to the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction - Key Facts and Figures, climate crisis is expected to cost the global economy 5.5% of GDP by 2050. The number varies according to sources, but as of COP21 according to the World Bank, US$23 trillion will be lost in lost GDP output. At this point, emission reductions are not enough, and the world is looking for alternative solutions. We need to find a way as a united world to make this work. For carbon credits to work, we need to consider expanding the compliance market to include high-quality investment-grade carbon offset credits. Given the recent greenwashing scandals, coupled with the existing rating agencies that are not uniform in their processes, established global financial rating standards need to be set up for carbon credits in both the compliance and voluntary markets. All stakeholders should work towards a sustainable framework to create investment-grade, rated carbon credits, so that we can support a secondary market as a source of revenue. Carbon credit derivatives would generate interest in the trade, create a new class of financial instruments, and attract a new influx of funding. The capital injection could be the start of the 5th industrial revolution: a post climate change world. We need the buy in of the private sector through an appeal to self-interest, not altruism, as we move away from traditional sources of energy into renewables. One of the fastest ways to achieve this is through a mature carbon trading market. Our goal for this session is to provoke a deeper conversation with stakeholders on the need for investment-grade carbon credits, a unified global rating system, and pivoting carbon trading towards high-quality investment-grade offsets.

In a rapidly evolving world focused on environmental sustainability, the demand for skilled professionals in green technology and sustainability fields has never been higher. This panel brings together industry leaders, experts, and educators to delve into the challenges and opportunities surrounding the growing talent shortage in these critical sectors.

This lecture explains what is carbonization, addresses its causes and impacts. It then offers technological solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from the electric power sector which is responsible over 30% of global Carbon emissions. In order to address the reduction of carbon emissions from the electric power sector, a collaborative approach between the industrialized nation states and emerging economies is necessary. This will involve a portfolio of solutions with low-carbon generation from wind, solar, hydro and nuclear, storage, cross-border power transfer and advanced technology focusing on energy efficiency. IEEE is playing a major role in this matter through it’s Climate Change Program. There are IEEE conferences and technical journals where numerous papers are presented and published which deal with climate change topics. IEEE is also working on international standards related to climate change. In addition, IEEE is collaborating with international organizations in the area of climate change mitigation. IEEE is participating in United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP) events, European Union energy related workshops and programs organized by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). More information about IEEE’s work in the field of climate change can be found from the dedicated website, climate-change.ieee.org.