EcoInternet Pilot Study Report 2021

Based on data and literary research, along with discussions at various workshops and feedback from a distinguished group of advisors, this report introduces a multi-dimensional scalable framework for an EcoInternet Index (EII) which will allow comparative studies between the pilot countries and jurisdictions.  Beyond simply considering the carbon emission of the Internet, the findings understood that an appropriate narrative for addressing the issue must include not only the advocacy for carbon conscious consumers, but also how Internet activities replace more carbon intensive activities, that the energy that supports the power grid is of crucial importance, and that the optimization of Internet infrastructure capacity are all important dimensions that should be considered at the same time.  The narrative which EII advances, in summary, is to “do more, waste less.”  Do more with the Internet and the infrastructure, and become more efficient with its use and with renewable energy sources.  The EII is designed to model this approach towards a greener Internet that supports sustainable growth without compromising the environment.

The EII is thus designed around three axes: 1. the Economy axis will consider the relative carbon emission factor of Internet usage in relation to the digital economy advantage; 2. the Energy axis models the grid emission factor with consideration of renewable energy sources; and, 3. the Efficiency axis takes into account the Internet infrastructure capacity, the speed of connectivity as experienced by users and the variance or optimality of the utilization of available bandwidth.  Together, the model provides a composite index that allows for the comparison of the eco-friendliness of the Internet infrastructure between large and small regions.

Although this pilot study included only six jurisdictions in Asia Pacific, the results suggest that the EII framework provides a scalable and reasonable composite set of indicators to consider the eco-friendliness of the Internet infrastructure across jurisdictions.  This opens the door for future development of the EII to include other countries and economise in Asia Pacific as well as other regions around the world.