WS #148 Making the Internet greener and more sustainable

Summary

This workshop focused on the concept of a greener Internet and the roles of various stakeholders in promoting sustainability in digital infrastructure. The discussion began with an introduction to the energy costs associated with Internet usage and the need for more efficient practices. Participants from academia, industry, and civil society shared their perspectives on three main policy questions.

The first question addressed the duties of stakeholders in creating a greener Internet. Speakers emphasized the importance of collaboration, energy-efficient practices, government regulations, and user awareness. The second question explored how sustainability efforts affect access for new users. Participants noted both positive and negative impacts, highlighting the potential for lower operational costs but also the challenges of initial investments in sustainable technologies.

The third question focused on spreading awareness and adoption of green standards. Speakers suggested strategies such as education campaigns, incentive programs, community involvement, and partnerships between stakeholders. Throughout the discussion, common themes emerged, including the need for collaboration, the importance of balancing sustainability with affordability, and the role of government policies in driving change.

The workshop also touched on specific issues such as the challenges faced by underserved communities, the potential of IPv6 in reducing energy consumption, and the need for a holistic approach to sustainability in the digital ecosystem. Participants agreed that while progress towards a greener Internet presents challenges, it is essential for the long-term sustainability of digital infrastructure and addressing climate change.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The duties and roles of different stakeholders (ISPs, governments, academia, end users) in creating a greener internet

– Challenges in implementing sustainable internet infrastructure, especially in developing regions

– How sustainability efforts impact access for new users, including potential positive and negative effects

– Ways to spread awareness and adoption of green standards for internet infrastructure

The overall purpose of the discussion was to raise awareness about the need for more sustainable internet infrastructure and practices, gather perspectives from different stakeholders, and encourage collaboration to promote “greener” internet development.

The tone of the discussion was generally constructive and solution-oriented. Speakers approached the topic seriously but with optimism about potential for positive change. There was an emphasis on the need for collaboration between different stakeholders. The tone became slightly rushed towards the end as the moderator tried to fit in all the planned questions within the time constraints.

Speakers

– Lucas Jorge da Silva: Moderator

– Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio: PhD candidate and researcher, assistant at Karsua University of Applied Sciences in Germany

– Jeffrey Llanto: Pioneer in the Philippine IT industry, instrumental in the country’s first internet connection in 1994, co-founder of CVISnet

– Tiago Jun Nakamura: Project analyst at NIC.br, organizer

– Eunice Perez Coello: Technical collaborator and network administration at Coprel Telecom, specializing in high-performance network design with a master’s in applied computing

– Pedro Camara: ISP specialist

Additional speakers:

– Eduardo Barasal Morales: Coordinator of training at NIC.br, moderator

– Natalia de Souza Rufino: Member of the Youth Brazil Program, reporter

– Jimson Olufuye: Consultant on data center digitalization, from Africa City Alliance, Abuja, Nigeria

Expanded Summary: Workshop on Creating a Greener Internet

Introduction:

This workshop explored the concept of a greener Internet and the roles of various stakeholders in promoting sustainability in digital infrastructure. The discussion brought together experts from academia, industry, and civil society to address three main policy questions, sharing diverse perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in creating a more sustainable digital ecosystem.

Key Participants:

– Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio: PhD candidate and researcher in Internet Governance

– Eunice Perez Coello: Technical collaborator specializing in high-performance network design

– Jeffrey Llanto: Pioneer in the Philippine IT industry and advocate for community empowerment

– Pedro Camara: ISP specialist with expertise in network infrastructure

– Lucas Jorge da Silva: Speaker and organizer

Policy Questions Addressed:

1. What are the duties of different stakeholders in creating a greener Internet?

2. How do sustainability efforts impact access for new users?

3. How can we spread awareness and adoption of green standards in Internet infrastructure?

Key Discussion Points:

1. Duties of Stakeholders in Creating a Greener Internet:

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio emphasized the importance of collaboration across sectors and highlighted the role of governments in creating policies and providing incentives for sustainable practices. Eunice Perez Coello stressed that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must adopt energy-efficient practices. Jeffrey Llanto underscored the need to understand real-world impacts on vulnerable communities, citing examples of climate change effects in the Philippines. Pedro Camara echoed the importance of coordinated efforts among stakeholders to reduce environmental impact.

2. Impact of Sustainability Efforts on Access for New Users:

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio emphasized the need to balance sustainability with affordability. Jeffrey Llanto stressed the importance of empowering local communities, particularly in underserved areas, providing examples of how internet access has improved lives in remote Philippine villages. Pedro Camara noted that while initial costs may hinder access, there are long-term benefits to sustainable practices. He suggested that optimization and energy-efficient infrastructure could potentially lower operational costs for ISPs, making Internet access more affordable. Eunice Perez Coello pointed out the resource disparities in underserved areas, highlighting the challenges in implementing sustainable solutions in regions lacking basic infrastructure, particularly in Latin America.

3. Spreading Awareness and Adoption of Green Standards:

Eunice Perez Coello emphasized the importance of education and public campaigns. Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio suggested government incentives and certifications as potential drivers for adoption. Jeffrey Llanto highlighted the crucial role of community involvement and ownership in sustainable Internet projects. Pedro Camara advocated for collaboration between stakeholders to amplify efforts in promoting green standards. Lucas Jorge da Silva mentioned the Green Work Group within the IETF as an example of ongoing efforts to promote sustainability in internet infrastructure.

Challenges and Considerations:

Throughout the discussion, several challenges were identified in implementing sustainable Internet infrastructure:

1. Initial costs and affordability, particularly for smaller providers and underserved communities

2. Lack of global consensus on green Internet standards

3. Disparities between regions and communities in terms of resources and existing infrastructure

4. Balancing sustainability efforts with performance and expansion of Internet access, especially in developing regions

patri5. Implementing sustainable solutions in areas lacking basic infrastructure, as highlighted by Eunice Perez Coello’s comments on Latin America

Audience Engagement:

The workshop utilized a quiz platform to gather audience input on key questions, enhancing participant engagement. Time constraints limited the full exploration of audience comments, but some participants shared their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in creating a greener Internet.

Key Takeaways and Future Directions:

1. Collaboration across different stakeholder groups is crucial for developing a greener Internet.

2. There is a need to balance sustainability efforts with ensuring affordable access, especially in developing regions.

3. Education, awareness campaigns, and incentives are important for promoting green practices.

4. Community involvement and empowerment are key, particularly for underserved areas.

5. Regulatory approaches and standards can help drive adoption of green practices.

Unresolved issues include overcoming the initial high costs of transitioning to greener technologies, especially for smaller providers and underserved communities, and achieving a global consensus on green Internet standards.

The workshop concluded with closing remarks by Thiago Jun Nakamura, who summarized the key points and emphasized the importance of continuing the discussion on creating a greener Internet.

In summary, the workshop provided a comprehensive exploration of the challenges and opportunities in creating a greener Internet, emphasizing the need for collaborative, nuanced approaches that consider the diverse needs of different communities and stakeholders.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: a technical collaborator and network administration at the Coprel Telecom, specializing in high-performance network design with a master’s in applied computing. And we have two representatives of civil society, Ms. Natalia Soutchouk-Patricio, a PhD candidate and researcher, assistant at Karsua, I think it’s pronounced that, University of Applied Sciences in Germany. Germany is difficult to spell. And we have Jeffrey Lento, a pioneer in the Philippine IT industry, instrumental in the country’s first internet connection in 1994, and co-founder of CVISnet. As we can see, we have brought together a specialist from various fields, ensuring diversity, and arranging the workshop with different perspectives. Secondly, I’d like to thank you, my boss, Eduardo Barraza Morales. He is one of the moderators, and he’s the coordinator of training at NIC.br. And one of our organizers, Thiago Jun Nakamura, project analyst at NIC.br, and my work colleague. And last but not least, our reporter, Natalia de Souza Rufino, member of the Youth Brazil Program. Okay, now I’d like to share some slides. Let me share my screen. Let’s see. Okay. Everyone can see the slides? All right. So here are the people who I was talking to. And for the beginning, I’d like to introduce our agenda. The first part will be a brief introduction to set the context for our topic. Then we’ll use a quiz platform to encourage activity participation from the audience. I’d like to thank all of you who are here with me on site. And we use the quiz, and you ask a question, and the people from here and online, you answer with only one word. And this word will guide the discussion and help us identify the most relevant points for the audience. After gathering this answer, our speakers will comment on the policy question. We have three policy questions, and based on their experience and opinion, they will talk about our workshop. We will hold three rounds of this discussion, and finally, we have an open mic session where the audience can ask questions or share comments about the workshop. Here we have the policy questions. The first one, what are the duties of the stakeholders for a greener Internet? Two, how does sustainability affect access for new users? And three, how can we spread our readiness in adoption of green standards? Well, I will do my introduction very quickly, and I’d like to begin with a question. How many aspects of your lives don’t involve the Internet? So we see the Internet has become an intricate part of our lives, but this comes with a significant energy cost to operate. And while the term cloud is often used like a magical word, we know that cloud means Internet, and Internet relies on massive data centres that consume a lot of energy, and sometimes using non-renewable sources for this. A significant part of the Internet, a part of humanity, still lacks the Internet access, and we see that in the open session that one-third of the humanity remains offline. So we need to expand that, and if today the Internet consumes a lot of energy, if we continue to expand the Internet, we will use more resources than we have. So, for this problem, there’s a concept of green networks that minimise the environmental impact of Internet infrastructure while optimising the resources, the use of these resources that we talk about. The goal is to do more with less, using fewer resources without the effective functionality of the Internet, so use less resources and still have the Internet, still have the performance of the Internet, like use the renewable energy in data centres, efficient manufacturing of network components, development of energy-efficient protocols, and the dynamic resource scale. One good initiative that we saw in the last weeks was the Green Work Group, the Gathering for Energy-Efficient Network. It’s a work group within the ITF, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and this group focuses on improving energy-efficient network technologies, creating frameworks, metrics, creating new protocols, or updating new protocols, old protocols, to optimise the energy used in networks. This last meeting of ITF happened last month in Dublin, Ireland, and the discussion was recorded, so you can access the link in the YouTube and watch the session. I think they have like two hours of length, but that is an important initiative from the ITF. So, what is the role of the stakeholders playing in this scenario? Collaboration, I think, is the word key for this, so we can address the critical issues, like what is the problem, and how we can solve this problem. So, it’s crucial that different stakeholders work together to drive this change. That is the main objective of today’s workshop, because we invited some different people to talk about this problem, and some results, or maybe solutions to this problem. So the stakeholders can take like adopted green practices, innovating protocols, and hardware, and balance the sustainability with the performance and expansion. Well, what is the goal of the workshop? While we understand that one hour is not enough to solve all this problem, we want to raise the awareness about this topic, which may be new to some people, and aim to encourage the collaboration, gather new options from different test sectors on the internet, and ultimately promote actions or create new initiatives from here in the IGF from React. So, for that, we like you online or on-site to share your ideas and solutions, and collaborate to build a green internet. So, this is a very quick introduction, and now we use a quiz platform to get some ideas, and after that, you pass the floor for our speakers. So, let me share the quiz platform. Okay. All right. So, I think that everyone can join the quiz. Please enter in your web browser, joinmyquiz.com, and put the pin, it’s 410266. And you have three questions, and we ask for you to respond, reply, with only one word, and we can make a beautiful word cloud. So, everyone on site and online can join the quiz. We have Eduardo Barraza-Morales, join the quiz. So, we have 15 participants. I don’t know how many we have on Zoom. So, I think it’s 15. The number. The camera. All right. So, I will start the quiz. Let’s start the first question. The audience will have one minute to answer, so think well. The first question, in one word, what do you consider essential for moving toward a greener Internet? We have a great collaboration, sustainability, agreement, money, money is important. Will is an important thing. Just one word. Power management is two words. Global warming, energy efficiency. Seven seconds. All right. Time’s up. We have a lot of great ideas, but remember, only one word. I see two words together. I see it’s centric, but all right. And now I like to start with the first policy question, and the speakers can use these words and this question as a base to the presentation. Let me share again the PDF. All right. Here is the first policy question, and I will start in the alphabetical order. So, I like to invite Eunice Perez to talk about this first policy question. What are the duties of stakeholders for a greener Internet?

Eunice Pérez Coello: Thank you. Hello, everyone. I would like to thank you for the invitation, the first time I participate in this great forum, and I’m excited to talk about this very important topic, making the Internet greener and more sustainable in my role as an academic. I think it’s an Internet collaborative ecosystem. Each stakeholder has a unique vehicle pool. Internet service providers and such companions need to adopt energy efficient practice. Governments must enforce eco-friendly regulations. Businesses are expected to align with sustainability standards and end users can reduce their digital burden. Academia connects these efforts that are leading in innovation and education. For example, in the University of the London, I’m doing research of the U.S. reserve installed on Raspberry Pi, where I analyze the energy consumption. Universities integrating sustainable into engineers’ curricula, equipment, future leaders with the skills to address environment challenge. Academia also facilitated the partnership, translating human age research into a collective solution. Together, I think these efforts ensure we progress forward toward a greener Internet.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: All right. Thank you, and it’s a great pleasure to be here with you and for accepting working in our workshop. So, I’d like to invite Mr. Jeffrey Lentol to talk about this first best question. What are the duties of stakeholders for a greener Internet?

Jeffrey Llanto: Good evening, everybody. And from us here in the Philippines right now, it’s really raining very hard, and I think it’s a fact of the global warming. So, anyway, what are the duties of stakeholders for a greener Internet? First, my role here is that I’m more on connecting the community. I have projects that I’ve submitted to NOCAS together with APNIC that I go directly to the communities and real-time scenario on what is happening at the grassroots level. So, we are talking about communities that doesn’t have Internet connection. It doesn’t even have electricity. Much worse, they don’t even have water. So, these are the areas we call them as the GIDA or GIDA, the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas. And these areas are very vulnerable, especially during disaster and climate change. So, we’re talking about greener Internet. We need to go first, who are the people who are really affected by climate change. So, there is one area that we’re working with USAID that this school submerged. It’s part of another island in the Philippines. It submerged every high tide. So, we provided them with a satellite Internet. Then I noticed that during high tide, the sea level will go inside the classroom. So, it’s very funny because it’s elevated. The schools, the chairs are being elevated. So, the students are up to there. So, again, duties of stakeholders for me for a greener Internet is first, we need to look at real scenarios. What are happening? What is happening to the real world right now? So, as I mentioned today, that there’s a typhoon incoming to the Philippines. And it’s very unlikely. Just to give you an idea, we named typhoons by alphabets, letter A to letter Z for each year. We ran out of alphabet. That’s why we go back to letter A. So, it’s more than 24 typhoons that we encountered. So, again, greener Internet really needs to know more, especially, in my opinion, especially the forest degradation is very important. And it’s really affecting us here in the islands. So, for me, again, stakeholders, you must know. what is happening on the Al-Sinai. Thank you very much, Lucas.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Geoffrey. It’s important to remember the effect in the global warming and people who are directly affected because of that. Alright? So, I’d like to invite Miss Natalia Sauciuk. Hello, Natalia. Can you hear us? Yes. Hello. Thank you for participating in our workshop. And I’d like to ask you what are the duties of stakeholders for the greener Internet?

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio: Okay. Thanks for the invitation to participate in this important workshop. Directly, greetings for KAUSHUA in Germany. I can let you know how to spell the name. I tried. I tried. No problem. No problem. This is very common. But anyways, in your quiz I put the wheel. The word wheel because I think everything starts with the wheel. The stakeholders need to have this common goal to go in the direction of a greener Internet. But there is, of course, every stakeholder has their own contributions to this. For example, when we think about network providers, we imagine that they need to implement this in the first way. Like to have really very practical stuff. It’s like to have hardware that is energy efficient and also try to change the way that they use energy like to more renewable energy and think about sustainable operations. This, of course, has some costs especially when you are thinking that nowadays we are not using most of the equipment that we have already in operation. Some of them are not energy efficient. So to move forward in this direction to be more efficient we have some costs. In this way, the duty for example for governments is to help in some way like creating policies in this matter. Like to help or provide some kind of motivation or incentives to move in this direction. The direction to use better solutions in terms of energy. So maybe governments will need to invest and help companies also to move in this direction because it’s not possible to imagine especially in some countries that we know like is the case of Brazil that has a lot of small network providers if they will not have sufficient budget to invest on that in this moment. Or like our friend told us about communities. Those communities also will need some help from governments and investments in this direction. They cannot afford this alone. And how as end users or consumers we can also think about our duty on that. It’s also like trying to manage our usage on internet because we know that when we use more things when it’s not necessary of course we are using resources and this is not about saying that people will not use internet anymore but maybe be a little bit more aware what is the impact of this use in the sustainability of the world as well as we imagine about water for example when we don’t waste water because we know that this is a resource that impacts our life and by the way although internet is not a resource as a water this impacts also in other kinds of resources like water or something like that. This is something that we have to increase the awareness in the users for that. This is some of the things that I would like to point out but there is much more that we could think about the duties of stakeholders in this matter.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you Natalia and it’s funny that you mentioned the ISPs Internet Service Providers because the next person the next speaker is Pedro Câmara and he is a ISP specialist so Pedro, as a professional in the ISP area what are the duties of the stakeholders for the greener internet?

Pedro Camara: The duties of stakeholders for greener internet involve coordination efforts to reduce environmental impact across the industry ISPs must prioritize energy efficient operations by data centers adopting greener hardware and implementing sustainable practices like equipment recycling and renewable energy adaptation. Governments and regulators play a key role by enacting policies that promote sustainability, providing incentives for using renewable energy and setting backmarks for energy efficiency. Equipment manufacturers need to design eco-friendly hardware with lower energy consumption longer lifespan and recyclable materials. Meanwhile, businesses and consumers should adopt sustainable usage habits so as to reduce unnecessary traffic and responsibly recycle devices. Collaboration across all these groups is essential to build a greener more sustainable internet.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Pedro. Let’s get the next question in our word cloud. Let me go out from the zoom and share the quiz. What is the quiz? Ah, here. Next question. Remember? One word. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge for sustainable internet infrastructure? Thank you. Talking about the duties of stakeholder. Now, what is the biggest challenge to sustainable internet infrastructure? Once again, we have money, fuel, disparity, costs, infrastructure, disparity, costs, regulation, relevance. Oh, now it’s much better with only one word. 10 seconds. Three, two, one. We have a lot of interesting words. like policies, regulation, government, disparity, obsolescence is important, money, costs, food, power, energy, scale, standards, and relevance. So now I will do the inverted order, I will start with Pedro. So let’s get the next policy question, let me share. The next policy question is how do sustainability efforts affect access for new users? As Pedro is an ESP, so what do you want, what do you think about that? How does it affect the new users, like new users in your ESP, how does it affect it?

Pedro Camara: Okay, sustainability efforts can positively and negatively impact access for new users, depending on how they are implemented. On one hand, optimization, energy usage, and infrastructure can lower operation cost for ESPs, potentially reducing service costs and making internet access more affordable. Efforts to extend the lifecycle of devices through recycle can also create more affordable options for users in underserved areas. However, there can be challenges, such as initial cost of transition to greater technology, which might lead to higher prices or slower expansion into a new region. To ensure sustainability doesn’t hinder access, stakeholders must balance green initiativity with affordability, priority scalable solution, and promotion partnership that expands sustainable connectivity to under-connected areas.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Pedro. One important thing that I want to highlight is the use of IPv6, and IPv6 wasn’t designed to sustainability, but when we use IPv6 and reduce the use of CGNet, for example, in an internet service provider, the cost and consumption of energy is lower, so you are saving money and saving the use of energy. So the main idea of IPv6 is not to be a green protocol, but with the use, the consequence is less use of energy, and this is good for the environment. So now I’d like to ask Natalia, with your years of experience, what are your thoughts about how do sustainability efforts affect access for new users?

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio: Okay, first of all, I would agree very much with what Pedro was telling about the positive and negative aspects, I think he put very well, that we have a kind of trade-off between sustainability and the affordability of the internet infrastructure, especially when we are talking about developing countries, such as in the South Global, like Brazil and Africa and other countries like that, because in the beginning, implementing those new devices with sustainable or energy-efficient devices would raise the costs, because we have to change whatever we are using now for these new devices, and this will cost money, for sure, and this will come from, needs to come from somewhere, yeah, and this is something that is a kind of a difficult trade-off, because we know that in the long term, these costs will be paid by having less consumption of energy, and also to affect less the world in general, but in the beginning, it’s very difficult, because we have to change this, and you know that this is something that a lot of companies, and especially the smallest ones will be very much impacted by that, because they don’t have so much money in hand to invest on that, or such as also communities that they are doing like their own networks for communities, and they don’t have this money so easily to do this, and nowadays, yet, these kind of devices are kind of not so much available everywhere, so we can see, for example, in Europe, they have scales of energy efficiency for various devices, and people try or tend to buy the ones more efficient, but until you change the whole ecosystem, this will take a very long time for that, so, but to summarize the influence, I think it’s that in the long term, it’s good for the whole society, because we need a more sustainable world, it’s like about surviving in this world, but the negative aspect is that maybe would increase the barriers to these new users, especially in low-income regions, so that’s my view about that.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Natalia, and I’d like to move on Jeffrey, and considering the project that you work, and you mentioned earlier, I believe you have some very fascinating opinions about the access for new users, so Jeffrey, how do sustainability efforts affect the access for these new users?

Jeffrey Llanto: Yes, Lucas, this is very appropriate right now, one word that I can answer on policy question number two, it’s empowerment. Empowerment is very important to the communities, first and foremost, nothing bad against the ISPs, they will never set up an infrastructure where there’s no return of investment, right, so we have some eight pilot areas right now working with the Philippine government and a group called Unconnected.org that provides a satellite connection to underserved areas, as I mentioned that even though there’s a project that we call as ILET, just like a small island, it’s the Internet for Sustainable Livelihood Education and Tourism, so it’s an empowerment of the communities that they will be able first to operate, sustain, and generate funds from the communities, so technology is given that there’s technology, and again, how do you sustain the Internet connection on the community level, so we’re talking about residents who really doesn’t have the smartphones, they don’t have the laptop, let me give you an example on an island with a population of about 1,200 people, it’s a small island, they don’t have water, they don’t have electricity, when we provided them with the first Internet connection, a broadband connection on their island, we never expected that the people were so happy, when there was already Internet connection, it pampers different opportunities, a month later, we noticed that there was already a coin-operated internet in which the residents will put coins for how many minutes of internet connection. So innovation, again, it developed into some kind of fruit bearing. Then all of a sudden, one of the communities and the house, he bought a smartphone, I mean a smart TV, then he operated a community-based movie theater, then they subscribed to Netflix. So those are the things that really need to be focused, especially for countries like the Philippines. The Philippines, if you take note, it is one of the most expensive internet connections around the world and also the slowest. It’s because there’s only two big telecommunications can run internet. And again, it’s very timely, as I mentioned to you, Lucas, because tomorrow the CNET already have a new bill to cut off this kind of monopoly or duopoly that we call it. So tomorrow there’s a CNET and we are also one of the strong promoter that this bill will be passed so that other players, just like Cbusiness Foundation that I started way back in 1994, we used to be an internet service provider. But when business comes in, it becomes like a, they call it a duopoly, only the giant telecoms are running it. I’m not saying it’s bad, but it never really trickles down to the community. For the past 30 years, from the start of the internet in the Philippines, I was there, I was teaching people how to use the internet. Until now, 30 years later, I’m still doing that and working to unconnected islands. So it’s really my passion. So again, going back to policy question, it’s really empowerment. You need to put the people in charge so that they can operate it by themselves. So thank you.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you very much, Jeffrey. And the last one, Eunice, what is your perspective to how the sustainability efforts affect access for new users?

Eunice Pérez Coello: I want to start to say I agree with my colleagues. Moving towards a sustainability, sustainable internet infrastructure is not without challenge. First, there’s the issues of resource disparities, particularly in regions like Latin America, where the rural and underserved communities struggle to access basic connectivity, let alone eco-friendly solutions. I think another is the lack of the global consensus of green internet standards. It could create fragmentation and delay in progress and limit knowledge and expertise in implementing sustainable technologies for complicating this effort. This challenge directly influences access. Sustainable infrastructure can be costly, potentially delaying the connection of new users and widening the digital divide. I think in the academy, we must step up and not just with innovative research, but also through direct engagement with affected communities by maybe conducting regional studies and involving local voices. We can ensure solutions and could be inclusive and effective. Moving is complex, talking about moving towards sustainability in Latin America. For the diverse geographic make, it’s hard to ensure eco-friendly connectivity everywhere. Academia can help, I think, by designing a cost-effective solution and involve communities in decision-making. Maybe I could say an example. A partnership between universities, observation, and rural cooperatives in Mexico has shown how academia can bring practical insights to underserved areas. I think one of the challenges is the cost, as my colleagues say.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: All right. Thank you for the insights. We have little time, so we have to rush a little bit. Now, we will do the last question to the audience. Let me share the quiz. Now, the last question. What do you believe is essential for promoting green practices in the internet infrastructure? Training, education, multi-stakeholderism, knowledge, money. Money always shows in the answers. Responsibility, partnership, studies, collaboration. Time is up, so these are our words. Now, I will pass for the next policy question. Because we have a tight time now, I would like to ask for our speakers to be very briefly, like one minute, to answer this question, if possible. How can we spread our readiness adoption of green standards? And I will… In energy monetary projects, what is the best way to spread our readiness and adoption of green standards? No? Yes.

Eunice Pérez Coello: I don’t hear. Lucas, is it for me to start? Yes, yes. Sorry. Okay. In one minute. Strategies, I think, is education, principally. Maybe course and public campaigns and another in collaborations. Okay, I say three. Education, collaboration, and incentives. And these three strategies must create these adaptations. And I think the road to green requires all of this. Academia can lead awareness campaigns and collaboration among the stakeholders is the key to the overcoming regional challenge. And we must also provide practical incentives, such as seeds for adopting sustainable practice and certifications, maybe for meeting a green benchmark.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Okay, thank you. Now, let’s hear about this with Natalia as a research. How do you think we can give more spread for our awareness and adoption of this standard? One minute.

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio: Wow. One minute. I think, wow, this is difficult. I think education campaign is one thing that is important, but also we have to make some kind of incentives program, especially by the government side to promote this among companies and also the community. And also standard certifications, this kind of stuff all can help to go in this direction. This is my one minute. Wow.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you. Now, Jeffrey, one minute. How can we spread awareness and adoption of green standards?

Jeffrey Llanto: Yeah, I think we can spread awareness by involving the communities, giving them ownership of what the adoption of green standards is. So first, it’s very important that this will really trickle down to the people who are affected by the green standards. And again, going back, green standards really address the future of especially climate change. So again, awareness and especially for the ownership of the community that they need to have it run and be able to sustain those kind of not only the technology, but also the real system, the infrastructure and how it is being brought to the community level. That’s it.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Jeff. Thank you, Jeffrey. And finally, Pedro, how can we spread awareness and adoption of green standards very quickly? One minute. OK.

Pedro Camara: OK. Spreading awareness and adoption of green standards require collaboration, education and green initiatives. Stakeholders like ISPN, governments and organizations must lead by example, implementing green practices and sharing social stories to demonstrate their benefits. Public campaigns can highlight the importance of sustainable internet practices targeting both business and customers. Governments and industry bodies can establish certification and recognition programs for green compliance in current widespread adoption training programs for IT professionals can ensure that green standards are understood and applied in network design and operation. Lastly, fostering partnership between stakeholders such as ISPN and environment organizations can amplify outreach efforts and make green standards a shared priority across the industry.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Pedro. And I appreciate a lot of the speakers and the time passed fast, but it was a pleasure to be here, to share the table with all these professionals. I think that we can learn a lot about the infrastructure, the green standards. And I want to continue this conversation in an email or in another opportunity. And I’d like to invite Tiago to provide a very quick closing remarks. Thank you all. I apologize for the rush in the end and for any nervous. It was my first time and I’m very grateful to share the table with some special members of the community. Thank you.

Tiago Jun Nakamura Nakamura: Thank you, Lucas. As we come to the close of this workshop, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you, to our incredible speakers. Thank you for sharing your expertise. Your insights and your time, your contributions has sparked meaningful discussions and left us with valuable knowledge to carry forward. And to our audience, thank you for your participation. Your presence here today reflects a commitment to growth and learning. It’s what makes the events like this truly impactful. This workshop is a testament to what we can achieve when knowledge is shared and connections are made. Let’s take the ideas we’ve explored today and continue to collaborate and innovate together. It is clear that further stakeholder discussions are needed towards green networks and we hope that everyone here participates on this journey during development over the next years. Thank you all and we look forward to seeing you at the future workshops here.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you, Tiago. We have three times, three minutes, if anyone here in the audience can make a statement or a comment. What is your name and where are you from? Thank you very much.

Audience: My name is Jimson Olufuye from Africa City Alliance, Abuja, Nigeria. I work as a consultant going to data center digitalization. It’s a great workshop, excellent, but I just have one comment to make that could fast-track the process of using green. If you look at the example of how IPv6 has been adopted, maybe in France, they brought about smart regulation. So they required ISPs, new ISPs, to deploy, to use IPv6 by social superior. So in the same way, our regulators can easily fast-track the process. If it’s smart regulation, you need to have this green equipment and so on, give them a timeline. That will help you a lot. Thank you.

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you. I like when people talk about IPv6, it’s always a pleasure. Anyone from the audience want to talk about where you’re from, what’s your name?

Audience: Thank you. My name is Mariana. I’m from Brazil. Actually, I had a question, or maybe some suggestion. I guess that sustainability is a theme in the concern of the decades, and the influence of the digital era on energy consumption needs to be considered. And when we are talking about the infrastructure of the internet, it’s interesting to consider that in a broad way. I mean, we are talking about the infrastructure of the internet to have all the data transported to the country for the other country, but we need a challenge. Okay, I have a problem with the audio, but it’s interesting to address our consumption to maintain, to treat, and to share all the data that we are using now with the AI models, or we have the powerful computational power, too. And what I want to know is when we are using here the greener internet, we are just talking about the infrastructure to the providers, or we are addressing all these many full ecosystems?

Lucas Jorge da Silva: Thank you. And I’d like to thank you all, the speakers, once again, the members here in the table, and the audience. And I have to close, because we don’t have much time. Thank you all, and we’ll see you at another opportunity in the future. Bye.

Agreement Points

Collaboration among stakeholders is crucial for a greener Internet

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio

Pedro Camara

Eunice Perez Coello

Collaboration across sectors is key

Stakeholders must coordinate efforts to reduce environmental impact

ISPs must adopt energy efficient practices

The speakers agree that collaboration between different stakeholders, including ISPs, governments, and other sectors, is essential for achieving a greener Internet and implementing sustainable practices.

Education and awareness are important for promoting green standards

Eunice Perez Coello

Pedro Camara

Education and public campaigns are essential

Collaboration between stakeholders to amplify efforts

Both speakers emphasize the importance of education, public campaigns, and collaboration to spread awareness and promote the adoption of green standards in Internet infrastructure.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers recognize the challenges faced by communities in adopting sustainable Internet practices, particularly in terms of costs and access. They emphasize the importance of empowering local communities and considering long-term benefits despite initial challenges.

Jeffrey Llanto

Pedro Camara

Empowerment of local communities is crucial

Initial costs may hinder access but long-term benefits exist

Unexpected Consensus

Importance of considering real-world impacts on vulnerable communities

Jeffrey Llanto

Eunice Perez Coello

Need to understand real-world impacts on vulnerable communities

Lack of global consensus on standards

While coming from different perspectives, both speakers highlight the importance of considering real-world impacts and challenges faced by vulnerable communities in implementing green Internet standards. This unexpected consensus underscores the need for a more inclusive approach to sustainability efforts.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement include the importance of collaboration among stakeholders, the need for education and awareness campaigns, and the recognition of challenges faced by vulnerable communities in adopting sustainable Internet practices.

Consensus level

There is a moderate level of consensus among the speakers on the key issues. This consensus suggests a shared understanding of the challenges and potential solutions for implementing greener Internet infrastructure. However, there are also nuanced differences in approaches and emphasis, particularly regarding the balance between sustainability efforts and ensuring access for new users. This level of consensus implies that there is a solid foundation for further discussions and collaborative efforts towards achieving a greener Internet, but also highlights the need for continued dialogue to address specific challenges and implementation strategies.

Different Viewpoints

Approach to implementing sustainable practices

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio

Jeffrey Llanto

Collaboration across sectors is key

Empowerment of local communities is crucial

While Nathalia emphasizes cross-sector collaboration, Jeffrey focuses more on empowering local communities as the primary approach to implementing sustainable practices.

Unexpected Differences

Focus on vulnerable communities

Jeffrey Llanto

Other speakers

Need to understand real-world impacts on vulnerable communities

Disparities between regions and communities

Jeffrey’s strong emphasis on understanding and addressing the needs of vulnerable communities, particularly those without basic infrastructure, was not as prominently featured in other speakers’ arguments. This highlights an unexpected difference in prioritizing the most disadvantaged populations in the context of sustainable Internet practices.

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around the primary approach to implementing sustainable practices (collaboration vs. community empowerment), the specific roles of different stakeholders, and the degree of focus on vulnerable communities.

difference_level

The level of disagreement among the speakers is moderate. While there are some differences in approach and emphasis, there is a general consensus on the importance of sustainable practices and the need for various stakeholders to be involved. These differences in perspective could actually be beneficial in developing a more comprehensive and nuanced approach to creating a greener Internet, as they highlight different aspects of the challenge that need to be addressed.

Partial Agreements

Both speakers agree on the need for ISPs to adopt sustainable practices, but Pedro emphasizes a broader coordination among all stakeholders, while Eunice focuses specifically on ISPs’ role.

Eunice Perez Coello

Pedro Camara

ISPs must adopt energy efficient practices

Stakeholders must coordinate efforts to reduce environmental impact

Both speakers acknowledge the challenge of initial costs in implementing sustainable practices, but Pedro more explicitly highlights the long-term benefits that could offset these costs.

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio

Pedro Camara

Initial costs may hinder access but long-term benefits exist

Initial costs and affordability

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers recognize the challenges faced by communities in adopting sustainable Internet practices, particularly in terms of costs and access. They emphasize the importance of empowering local communities and considering long-term benefits despite initial challenges.

Jeffrey Llanto

Pedro Camara

Empowerment of local communities is crucial

Initial costs may hinder access but long-term benefits exist

Key Takeaways

Collaboration across different stakeholder groups is crucial for developing a greener Internet

There is a need to balance sustainability efforts with ensuring affordable access, especially in developing regions

Education, awareness campaigns, and incentives are important for promoting green practices

Community involvement and empowerment is key, particularly for underserved areas

Initial costs of transitioning to greener technologies pose challenges, but there are long-term benefits

Regulatory approaches and standards can help drive adoption of green practices

Resolutions and Action Items

Continue stakeholder discussions on green networks in future workshops and events

Explore partnerships between academia, industry, and communities to develop sustainable solutions

Consider regulatory approaches to incentivize adoption of green standards by ISPs

Unresolved Issues

How to overcome the initial high costs of transitioning to greener technologies, especially for smaller providers and underserved communities

Lack of global consensus on green Internet standards

How to effectively balance sustainability efforts with expanding Internet access in developing regions

Scope of ‘green Internet’ – whether it encompasses just infrastructure or the broader ecosystem including data centers and end-user practices

Suggested Compromises

Balancing green initiatives with affordability through government incentives and gradual implementation

Involving local communities in sustainable Internet projects to ensure solutions are practical and effective

Combining education efforts with practical incentives and certifications to promote adoption of green practices

We need to go first, who are the people who are really affected by climate change. So, there is one area that we’re working with USAID that this school submerged. It’s part of another island in the Philippines. It submerged every high tide.

speaker

Jeffrey Llanto

reason

This comment brought a concrete, real-world example of climate change impacts to the discussion, highlighting the urgency of the issue.

impact

It shifted the conversation from abstract concepts to tangible effects, emphasizing the immediate need for action and the human cost of inaction.

The duty for example for governments is to help in some way like creating policies in this matter. Like to help or provide some kind of motivation or incentives to move in this direction.

speaker

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio

reason

This insight highlighted the crucial role of government policy in driving sustainable practices.

impact

It broadened the discussion from technical solutions to include policy and economic incentives as key factors in promoting green internet practices.

Sustainability efforts can positively and negatively impact access for new users, depending on how they are implemented. On one hand, optimization, energy usage, and infrastructure can lower operation cost for ESPs, potentially reducing service costs and making internet access more affordable.

speaker

Pedro Camara

reason

This comment introduced nuance to the discussion by pointing out both positive and negative potential impacts of sustainability efforts.

impact

It deepened the analysis by encouraging consideration of the complex trade-offs involved in implementing green practices.

Empowerment is very important to the communities, first and foremost, nothing bad against the ISPs, they will never set up an infrastructure where there’s no return of investment, right, so we have some eight pilot areas right now working with the Philippine government and a group called Unconnected.org that provides a satellite connection to underserved areas

speaker

Jeffrey Llanto

reason

This insight brought attention to the importance of community empowerment and alternative models for providing internet access.

impact

It shifted the discussion towards considering innovative, community-centered approaches to sustainable internet infrastructure.

Academia can help, I think, by designing a cost-effective solution and involve communities in decision-making. Maybe I could say an example. A partnership between universities, observation, and rural cooperatives in Mexico has shown how academia can bring practical insights to underserved areas.

speaker

Eunice Perez Coello

reason

This comment highlighted the potential role of academia in bridging the gap between research and practical implementation.

impact

It expanded the conversation to include the importance of collaboration between different sectors (academia, communities, cooperatives) in developing sustainable solutions.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by grounding it in real-world examples, highlighting the complexity of implementing green practices, emphasizing the importance of policy and economic incentives, and showcasing the potential for innovative, community-centered approaches. The conversation evolved from a general discussion about sustainability to a more nuanced exploration of the challenges and opportunities in different contexts, particularly in developing countries and underserved areas. The comments also broadened the scope of stakeholders considered, emphasizing the roles of governments, communities, academia, and industry in creating a more sustainable internet infrastructure.

How can we balance sustainability efforts with affordability and access for underserved communities?

speaker

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio

explanation

This is important to ensure sustainability doesn’t widen the digital divide

What incentives or policies can governments implement to help ISPs and communities transition to more energy-efficient technologies?

speaker

Nathalia Sautchuk Patricio

explanation

This addresses the challenge of high initial costs for implementing sustainable infrastructure

How can community empowerment models be scaled to improve sustainable internet access in underserved areas?

speaker

Jeffrey Llanto

explanation

This approach could help overcome barriers to connectivity in remote or low-income regions

What role can academia play in developing cost-effective, sustainable connectivity solutions for diverse geographic regions?

speaker

Eunice Perez Coello

explanation

This could help address the challenge of implementing eco-friendly connectivity in varied landscapes

How can we create and implement global consensus on green internet standards?

speaker

Eunice Perez Coello

explanation

This is crucial to avoid fragmentation and ensure consistent progress in sustainable internet infrastructure

What are effective strategies for education and public awareness campaigns about sustainable internet practices?

speaker

Multiple speakers

explanation

This was identified as a key factor in promoting adoption of green standards

How can we develop and implement certification programs for green compliance in the internet industry?

speaker

Pedro Camara

explanation

This could incentivize and recognize adoption of sustainable practices

What is the energy impact of emerging technologies like AI and powerful computational models on internet infrastructure?

speaker

Audience member (Mariana)

explanation

This expands the scope of considering sustainability in internet infrastructure beyond just connectivity