Background The Information Communications Technology Council (ICTC) held its inaugural Horizon Digital Future Summit on February 1 and 2, 2022. This paper builds on the conversations held during the summit and explores the relationship between the green and digital economies. In closing the summit, ICTC signed the CIO Strategy Council’s Sustainable IT Pledge, the first-ever commitment by Canadian organizations to cut rapidly rising emissions from digital technologies.1 This builds on ICTC’s existing collaboration with the CIO Strategy Council on the advancement of standards, trust, and resiliency of the Canadian digital economy. Sustainability is central to a successful digital economy, and ICTC looks forward to continuing its work with the CIO Strategy Council and other key partners like Evergreen to ensure a sustainable digital economy for Canada.
The economy is changing rapidly. Work and labour look different now than they did 10 years ago, and the importance of the digital economy is growing. Tech ethics fields are maturing, and global trade and investment patterns are in constant flux. At the same time, it is abundantly clear that our collective wellbeing hinges on tackling climate change, making the global transition to a green economy the most urgent of these changes. Meeting the UNFCC Paris Agreement requires that all industries curb their impact on the environment.
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“A Connected World Shouldn't Cost the Earth,” 2021, CIO Strategy Council, https://ciostrategycouncil.com/sustainable/
Thinking Green: Building a Sustainable Digital Economy for Canada
www.ictc-ctic.ca
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