UN Summit of the Future: CODES Side Event on Digital Environmental Sustainability and AI for the Global Digital Compact

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AI and emerging tech are crucial for accelerating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, playing a key role in climate action, energy efficiency, green networks, and circular economy. However, the increasing use of digital tools, including AI, raises energy and water consumption, GHG emissions, rare earth minerals usage, and e-waste. There is an urgent need to govern AI and other digital technologies in a sustainable way by bringing together diverse stakeholder groups and experts. To address this, the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) has been advancing the global movement for digital sustainability, catalyzing sustainable digital practices and advocating for policies such as the Global Digital Compact - to be signed by Member States at the up-coming Summit of the Future. This event will engage participants in a dialogue around the Global Digital Compact’s Environmental Sustainability Principle, including priorities and next steps for implementation, and actions to promote the environmental sustainability of AI, with examples of best practices from guest speakers.

Key event outcomes: 

• Discuss/Organize follow up of the Environmental sustainability mandate of the GDC
• Initiate action towards sustainable AI for the 2030 Agenda
• Present UNEP Issue Brief on sustainable AI and respective research agenda
  

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