Telecommunications and media giant AT&T announced today the launch of the Connected Climate Initiative, with a goal to help businesses reduce 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035, equivalent to roughly 15% of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
The new initiative will see AT&T collaborate with leading technology, digital infrastructure and energy companies, universities and other organizations to deliver broadband-enabled climate solutions at global scale. According to AT&T, solutions could range from IoT solutions for commercial and manufacturing facilities, AI management and monitoring solutions for transportation and energy, and broadband technologies to help drive efficiencies.
Anne Chow, CEO, AT&T Business, said:
“As businesses embrace climate change as a priority, our connectivity solutions can help them make progress to reach their goals. AT&T has a track record of delivering sustainability results within our own large-scale operations and for our business customers across industries. The time is now to expand our impact by developing and deploying more capabilities and solutions that enable companies to reduce their environmentalEnvironmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. More footprint. This is a collective imperative across all business that also benefits the planet and society as a whole.”
Key business collaborators in the new initiative include Microsoft, Equinix, Duke Energy. Microsoft is working with AT&T on the development of products such as the AT&T Guardian device with Azure Sphere, which enables businesses to securely collect and analyze data to identify efficiencies and reduce sources of carbon emissions. Equinix will work to provide highly secure access to energy-efficient digital infrastructure, and Duke Energy and AT&T will explore how broadband technologies may help accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
University collaborators include the Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus, which will research how AT&T 5G could help speed emissions reduction in industries with high emissions, and the University of Missouri, will explore how AT&T 5G may help reduce energy consumption and emissions from buildings.
Additional Connected Climate Initiative collaborators include SunPower, Badger Meter, IndustLabs, Traxen, BSR, RMI, Third Derivative and the Carbon Trust.
Charlene Lake, Chief Sustainability Officer, AT&T, said:
“Ubiquitous connectivity — nationwide broadband, which includes 5G access, for businesses everywhere — has the power to help scale technologies, dramatically accelerating business efforts to reach their climate goals. As AT&T advocates for universal broadband, we see an opportunity to support even more businesses in the transition to a net-zero economy through our global reach, advanced network capabilities and collaborations with industry and NGO partners.”
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