IEEE–International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Symposium on Achieving a Sustainable Climate – Part II

by Marta Koch, IEEE Europe Member & PhD Researcher & Teaching Facilitator, Imperial College London with Alan J Weissberger, IEEE Techblog Content Manager

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part article summarizing this ITU-IEEE Symposium. Part I is here.

Why AI Matters for Sustainable Telecommunications:

The IEEE–ITU Symposium on underscored that developing AI‑enabled sustainable telecommunications networks represents a fundamentally multidisciplinary challenge situated at the intersection of communications engineering, energy systems, computer science, climate science, and public policy. Delivering meaningful climate outcomes through digital technologies requires not only progress in algorithms, architectures, and network optimization, but also institutional frameworks that enable responsible, interoperable, and scalable deployment across diverse operational contexts.

A systems-level view of telecommunications sustainability os needed—beyond traditional performance metrics—to one where future networks are intelligent, adaptive, and energy‑efficient by design. Building on ITU analyses positioning AI, advanced connectivity, and digital platforms as key enablers of environmental action, participants also highlighted the importance of understanding their environmental trade‑offs.

Machine Learning for Climate‑Aware Network Optimization:

Machine learning (ML) is emerging as a strategic enabler of climate‑aligned energy management across telecom networks. ML techniques now underpin network‑wide energy optimisation, demand and renewable generation forecasting, power–communications coordination, and climate services such as early warning and adaptive planning. In resource‑constrained or climate‑vulnerable contexts, ensuring model robustness, transparency, and alignment with sustainability objectives is essential. Research priorities include energy‑ and carbon‑aware model design, integration of grid and resilience metrics, and standardised evaluation methods for sustainability‑critical ML applications.

Use Cases for Energy‑Efficient Operations via AI:

Important AI applications include traffic prediction, adaptive resource management, energy‑aware RAN optimisation, and predictive network sleep modes. Cross‑layer and multi‑timescale optimisation enables maximum energy efficiency without compromising service quality.

Network Resilience Under Climate Stress:

With climate‑related disruptions increasing globally, AI‑enabled predictive maintenance, self‑healing architectures, and climate‑aware planning have become core to resilient network operations. These approaches align with UN‑led initiatives on climate services and disaster early warning systems.

Power–Communications Interdependencies:

Participants highlighted the coupling between power and communications systems, emphasising cascading‑failure scenarios and the potential of AI‑enabled digital twins for joint optimisation. These perspectives align with ITU frameworks on digital public infrastructure and smart sustainable cities, which stress interoperability across physical and digital systems.

Sustainable AI and Hardware–Software Co‑Design:

Effective climate action depends on co‑optimising physical and digital infrastructure—from data centres and energy systems to ML models and orchestration layers. Sustainable network intelligence requires energy‑efficient algorithms, hardware‑aware deployment, and system‑level governance. The approach aligns with ITU’s Green Digital Action initiative and related efforts by ISO, IEC, UNEP, and WMO to advance standards‑driven, science‑informed digital sustainability.

Digital Public Infrastructure and Climate‑Resilient Digitalization:

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)—open and interoperable systems for identity, payments, data exchange, and connectivity—was highlighted as foundational for inclusive, climate‑resilient digital transformation. Effective DPI design requires governance, risk management, and safeguards, as emphasised by UNDP and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies.

IEEE Technology Assessment Tool:

The symposium introduced an IEEE envisioning proof‑of‑concept tool to support sustainable network planning through systematic assessment of digital and energy technologies, evaluating trade‑offs across performance, sustainability, and resilience.

Importance of International Standards:

A central outcome of the symposium was recognition of the critical role of international standardization in translating technological innovation into practical, climate‑relevant impact. As telecommunications networks become increasingly software‑defined, AI‑driven, and interconnected with energy and physical infrastructure systems, standards provide the technical and governance foundations essential for interoperability, data integrity, trustworthiness, and long‑term sustainability. Presentations from global standards organizations highlighted the importance of harmonized frameworks that can minimize market fragmentation, facilitate cross‑border interoperability, and incorporate environmental and resilience criteria directly into network design, operation, and lifecycle management.

Standards were identified as key to scalable, trustworthy AI deployment, with interoperability and data governance central to ITU‑T Study Group 5’s agenda.

Sessions also reinforced the importance of equitable access—advancing AI‑assisted network planning and cost‑efficient deployment in climate‑vulnerable regions to balance sustainability, affordability, and inclusion.The symposium further emphasized the need for a system‑level approach, recognizing that telecommunications networks operate as integral components within broader energy, transport, and urban infrastructure ecosystems. In this context, AI and machine learning increasingly serve as coordinating layers across hardware, software, and physical assets, enabling cross‑domain optimization. Standardization plays a crucial enabling role by aligning interfaces, performance metrics, and assessment methodologies across sectors, thereby supporting coherent operation of digital and physical systems under conditions of resource constraint, geopolitical uncertainty, and climate stress.

Implications for IEEE Communications Society:

For IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) members, discussions highlighted a dual responsibility and opportunity. There is a responsibility to ensure future communications networks are designed to minimize environmental impact, maintain resilience under climate extremes, and promote equitable access to essential connectivity and data sharing.
Simultaneously, there is an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to contribute technical evidence, performance models, and quantitative metrics that inform and advance international standardization.

By maintaining sustained collaboration among research institutions, industry stakeholders, standards bodies, and policy entities—and engaging with the broader frameworks of global climate and sustainable‑development governance—the telecom community can play a defining role in enabling energy‑efficient, climate‑aware, and resilient digital infrastructure worldwide.

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References:

[1] M. Koch and UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (UN CTCN), “Maximizing Emerging Trends in Locally-Led AI Solutions for Climate Action,” SDG Knowledge Hub, International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025.
https://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/maximizing-emerging-trends-in-locally-led-ai-solutions-for-climate-action/

[2] M. Koch, “Stakeholder asset-mapping of climate technology infrastructures,” Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 2025.
DOI: 10.1038/s43017-025-00737-z

[3] World Meteorological Organization, Early Warnings for All: Executive Action Plan 2023–2027, WMO, Geneva, 2023.
https://wmo.int/media/magazine-article/overview-of-early-warnings-all-executive-action-plan-2023-2027

[4] United Nations Environment Programme, Global Climate Risk Assessment Framework, UNEP, Nairobi, 2023.
https://www.unepfi.org/themes/climate-change/2023-climate-risk-landscape/

[5] ITU, WMO, UNEP, and UNFCCC, Global Initiative on Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions, United Nations, Geneva. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/extcoop/ai4resilience/Pages/default.aspx

[6] ITU-T Study Group 5, Work Programme on Environment, Climate Action, Circular Economy and Electromagnetic Fields, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva.
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/studygroups/2022-2024/05/

[7] International Telecommunication Union – Telecommunication Standardization Sector, Building Digital Public Infrastructure for Cities and Communities, ITU, Geneva, 2025.
https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/tut/T-TUT-SMARTCITY-2025-9-PDF-E.pdf

[8] International Telecommunication Union – Telecommunication Standardization Sector, Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change (T-TUT-ICT-2020-02), ITU, Geneva, 2020.
https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/tut/T-TUT-ICT-2020-02-PDF-E.pdf

[9] International Telecommunication Union – Telecommunication Standardization Sector, Smart Sustainable Cities and Digital Infrastructure Frameworks, ITU, Geneva, 2025.
https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/tut/T-TUT-SMARTCITY-2025-6-PDF-E.pdf

[10] International Telecommunication Union, Green Digital Action, ITU, Geneva.
https://www.itu.int/initiatives/green-digital-action/

[11] World Bank Group, Digital Public Infrastructure and Development: A World Bank Group Approach, Washington, DC, 2025.
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/cca2963e-27bf-4dbb-aa5a-24a0ffc92ed9

[12] United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies and United Nations Development Programme, DPI Safeguards Initiative. https://www.dpi-safeguards.org

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About Marta Koch:

Marta Koch is an IEEE member, PhD Researcher and Teaching Facilitator at Imperial College London, Research Associate at the Oxford Computational Political Science Group at the University of Oxford and Research Consultant at UNOPS. She has been nominated as research delegate to UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), UNEP, UNDESA, UNIDO and ITU meetings.