UNFCCC, Bali: Climate Risk directors Karl Mallon and Gareth Johnston today presented the Telstra Report to the international climate change business NGO and government community in Bali.  The event coincided with Prime Minister Rudd’s presentation of the Instrument of Kyoto Ratification to the Conference of the Parties. 

The report, Towards a High-Bandwidth, Low-Carbon Future: Telecommunications-based Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, identifies seven major opportunities for Australia to reduce or avoid the release of greenhouse gas emissions by almost five per cent or around 27 million carbon tonnes per year by 2015 and deliver more than $AUD6.6 billion annually in cost savings to businesses and households.

These seven opportunities are:
Networked demand-side management to increase renewable energy use;
Integrated personalised public transport;
“In-person” high-definition videoconferencing to improve business productivity;
Presence-detecting services that turn off devices that are “on” but not being used;
Real-time freight allocation systems to fill empty freight vehicles;
Remote power management for appliances not in use or on “stand-by”; and
Teleworking.

The Report provides the first significant, practical analysis of the use of telecommunications - using Australia as a detailed case study - to achieve increased energy conservation and increased renewable energy production. The Report was peer reviewed by WWF Australia Chief Executive Officer, Mr Greg Bourne, who said Telstra had set an international precedent by finding ways that the telecommunications industry can contribute towards a national shift to a low-carbon economy.

Telstra Chief Executive Officer, Mr Sol Trujillo, said the Report delivered compelling evidence that broadband networks could significantly help national economies to prosper under carbon-constraints.

“This research is significant because telecommunications infrastructure can be used to leverage and aggregate significant energy savings on a nation-wide basis with economy-wide implications. It also shows we can take what are largely today ad hoc and piecemeal actions, and turn them into an approach that is integrated, deliberate and comprehensive.”

The Telstra-commissioned Report was prepared by Australian environmental experts Climate Risk Pty Ltd whose Director of Science and Systems, Dr Karl Mallon, said the Report showed that telecommunication options should be part of every business and government climate change strategy because they can deliver big emission cuts quickly and with minimal economic disruption. “Our analysis found that by harnessing smarter networks and devices it is possible to deliver reduced emissions while also reducing expenditure on energy for the end user,” Dr Mallon said.

The Report found that the seven opportunities, if achieved, could reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by an amount and pace that meets the Kyoto Protocol target. This amount is also in keeping with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Stern Review.

A full copy of the Report can be found at: http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/csr/docs/climate_full_report.pdf.pdf

Climate Risk Directors Dr Karl Mallon and Gareth Johnston are attending the United Nations Climate Change conference in Bali and are available for interviews about this report.

They will be conducting a media briefing at 10:00am on Wednesday 12 December 2007, Wind Room, Grand Hyatt, Nusa Dua.

Dr Karl Mallon: Tel: +61 412 25 75 21
Gareth Johnston: Tel: +61 433 108 391Telstra Media Contact: Sarah McKinnon, Tel: +61 3 9634 7124, Mbl: +61 437 757 261