Ignacio Campino Ignacio Campino: According to a recently pub-
lished McKinsey study commissioned by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), CO2 emissions in the ICT sector are set to rise to 1.43 gigatons by 2020, which would represent a tripling in volume since 2002. By the same token, however, ICT solutions have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 7.8 gigatons. But unless we take action, emissions will continue to rise and this reduction potential will remain untapped. As a company, we have already taken steps to re- duce our CO2 emissions. Our aim is to emit 20 per- cent less CO2 over the period 1990 to 2020. Jos Delbeke: I think we need a two-pronged approach: companies that are willing to take the lead and set themselves reduction targets, as well
as specific statutory provisions to ensure that these trend-setters are not acting in isolation. We need leaders, but we also need followers. If governments can support the pioneering compa- nies, they can also motivate others to follow their lead. The main challenge facing us is the develop- ment of high-tech solutions.
Ignacio Campino: We are keen to track the development of new technologies in the energy market, because we are interested in how they could be applied to certain areas of the company. We believe that a decentralized energy supply will gain significance in the future. However, we also need to tackle the rising energy prices, as the cost pressure on companies continues to grow.
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Spotlight: Climate protection
Jos Delbeke: A powerful market-based incentive provides engineers and inventors with a good starting position for new developments. We must seize this opportunity with both hands, by promot- ing incentives and rewarding good ideas, rather than dictating everything. This is the objective behind the ETS, the Emission Trading Scheme, which we would like to extend to the entire OECD territory from 2013. If we can achieve a global CO2 market among industrialized countries by 2013 and succeed in fully engaging major developing countries after 2020, this would offer very usable prospects for our work.
Ignacio Campino: What is your message to us, both as an industry and as a company? Jos Delbeke: The technological development I have in mind extends far beyond your industry. Your company is an important energy saver, thanks to this technology. More than that, how- ever, Deutsche Telekom’s products also offer Mobile communications and health. Controversial discussions in public
on the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by IT devices have raged for years. Deutsche Telekom does not only assign top priority to the safety and environmental sustainability of its products and technologies, but is also very much committed in the long term to informing the public and promoting research.
Deutsche Telekom is convinced that by complying with the prevailing security standards and tolerance limits mobile communications is a safe and sure technology. This conviction is based on current findings made by independent national and international experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which evaluate all relevant studies on a continual basis and investigate security standards. Deutsche Telekom also opts for open and transparent information when it comes to the SAR levels of devices. The WHO stipulates 2 watts per kilogram of body weight here. All cell phones sold by T-Mobile comply with this limit, and most are clearly below. Wishing to provide the customer with this information prior
to any purchase, T-Mobile was the first network operator in Germany in 2004 to print the manufacturers’ details on SAR levels on the T-Mobile packaging.
In many national companies, we support initiatives and institutions in order to promote the social acceptance of mobile communications – for example the Mobile Operators Association (MOA) in Great Britain, the Forum Mobil- funkkommunikation (FMK) in Austria and the Informations zentrum Mobilfunk (IZMF) in Germany. These institutions provide different information and dialog forums on various aspects of mobile communications.
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society an opportunity to reduce its CO2 emis- sions at a level far beyond that which you your- selves incur. The message here should be that high-tech pays off, especially in your technology- intensive industry. As far as your company is concerned, Deutsche Telekom has proven itself to be an innovator.
Ignacio Campino: Do you believe that our strategy for severing the link between CO2 emissions and energy consumption is on the right track? Jos Delbeke: Yes I do. This strategy is still very much in its infancy, and we need to await further developments. It takes time to invent new con- cepts and translate these innovations into usable products and services. However, one or two decades offer enormous potential for change. Looking back at the cars, houses, computers and services in 1980, it was a completely different world back then.
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Ignacio Campino: Our task is to harmonize our short-term entrepreneurial objectives with the global challenges facing us. Sometimes we fail. It sometimes seems to me that we are borrowing against the future.
Jos Delbeke: That’s true. We must consider what will happen if the entire Chinese population sets out to attain the same level of economic develop- ment we currently enjoy in Europe. Our CO2 footprint is pretty big and will remain so. Even if we succeed in gradually reducing our emissions year by year, we will still continue to consume large quantities of products and services at a level which is simply unsustainable for the world as a whole. Call me pessimistic, but in my eyes there is only one solution: We need to crank our technological growth up another gear. If we want to sustain our current level of development, we are reliant upon outstanding performance in terms of CO2 efficiency. In your capacity as repre- sentative of an industrial company, may I ask you something?