New Report Calculates that Mobile Enabled 2,135 Million Tonnes CO2e Reductions in 2018
Madrid: The use of mobile technology enabled a global reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of around 2,135 million tonnes CO2e last year, according to a new study commissioned by the GSMA - a quantity approximate to the total emissions emitted yearly by Russia[1]. The emissions savings were almost ten times greater than the global carbon footprint of the mobile industry itself[2].
The new GSMA report, produced in collaboration with the Carbon Trust, an independent sustainability specialist, is being presented at the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) held in Madrid this month. It found that the majority of avoided emissions made possible by mobile technologies were the result of significant reductions in energy and fuel consumption. In 2018, mobile technologies such as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) enabled a 1.44 billion MWh reduction in energy and saved 521 billion litres of fuel, globally.
The mobile ecosystem enabled savings of enough electricity and gas last year to power more than 70 million houses for an entire year in the US. Additionally, fuel for all 32.5 million registered cars in the UK to drive for 19 years was saved, said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA. Today's study underlines how mobile and smart technologies are powering sustainable economic growth while enabling the avoidance of emissions across multiple industry sectors. These technologies will be crucial to the world reaching its Net Zero targets.
Climate change requires a collective effort across governments, businesses and civil society if we are going to succeed in limiting global temperature increases to within 1.5 degrees, said Tom Delay, CEO of the Carbon Trust. This analysis shows the positive role that mobile technology is playing in the evolution of other sectors and is a great example of what is possible.
The Carbon Trust examined 14 markets around the world[3] to form a representative sample of the enablement effect' of the mobile sector's ability to reduce emissions. The results indicate an even split between the enablement effect of M2M/IoT technologies, and those enabled through behaviour changes from the personal use of smartphones.
The majority of avoided emissions from M2M technologies are primarily in buildings, transport, manufacturing and the energy sector - sectors that make up a large portion of global GHG emissions. For example, savings in buildings are a result of technologies that improve energy efficiency such as building management systems and smart meters. In the transport sector, the use of telematics can improve route optimisation and vehicle fuel efficiency.
Meanwhile, personal smartphone usage is enabling emissions reductions due to encouraging behaviours such as reduced travel, increased use of public transport, remote home heating control and online shopping.
The report provides a high-level analysis of six categories of enabling mechanisms, along with case studies. The biggest category of avoided emissions is Smart living, working and health' (39 per cent of total avoided emissions in 2018), followed by Smart transport and cities' (30 per cent), Smart manufacturing' (11 per cent), Smart buildings' (10 per cent), Smart energy' (7 per cent), and Smart agriculture' (3 per cent).
The Enablement Effect: The impact of mobile communications technologies on carbon emission reductions' is produced by the GSMA and the Carbon Trust. The report provides a breakdown of the results and the assumptions used in the calculations, including a full methodology.
Click here to download
Mobilising the industry on climate action
Many of the world's largest mobile operator groups have agreed to start disclosing their climate impacts as part of a major new GSMA-led initiative to develop a mobile industry climate action roadmap in line with the Paris Agreement[4]. The disclosures form the first phase of an industry-wide, climate action roadmap.
The GSMA is working with participating operators and partnering with the international community, climate experts and third-party organisations to advance industry progress, establish best practices, and support disclosure and target setting. The work forms part of the industry's journey to support the delivery of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG #13 on Climate Action. Please visit www.gsma.com/climate to find out more.
-ENDS-
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators and nearly 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.
Media Contacts:
For the GSMA:
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com
[1] OECD, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=AIR_GHG#
[2] Global annual emissions by the mobile sector is calculated at approximately 220 million tonnes CO2e
[3] Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, UK and US
[4] https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/worlds-leading-mobile-operators-to-disclose-climate-impacts-as-part-of-new-gsma-led-climate-action-roadmap/
Like what you read? Share.
Most recent headlines
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
22/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
22/12/2025
Berklee Wrapped 2025: Our Top News and Stories A look back at a year highlighted by faculty milestones, major film and television projects, Bob Dylan's ho...
22/12/2025
The works of Plato state that when humans have an experience, some level of change occurs in their brain, which is powered by memory - specifically long-term me...
22/12/2025
Partnership integrates complementary satellite data and AI analytics to enhance security, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring solutions for global cust...
22/12/2025
Workflows allow you to create a sequence of planned events which may be added to your template(s) or inserted directly into your sequential or background playli...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Back to All News
Global Anime Hits and New Releases Take Center Stage at Jump Festa 2026
Entertainment
22 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clipboar...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
New Report Calculates that Mobile Enabled 2,135 Million Tonnes CO2e Reductions in 2018 
