Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 24 / Trend H. Valiyev /
The negative impact of the ICT sector on the environment will double to four percent by 2020, Azerbaijani Communications and IT Minister Ali Abbasov said today.
He added that the U.N. and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have developed and implemented the "SMART 2020" project to reduce the ICT sector's negative impact on the environment.
"The theme of reducing the impact is urgent today," he said. "It is widely discussed throughout the world. There is no certain method to reduce the impact of radio engineering, mobile phones, or so-called 'e-waste', on the environment. Nevertheless, leading scholars, specialists and political analysts are working today to increase the ICT's productivity to compensate for the forecast double increase in the sector's negative impact on the environment."
The problem was reflected in the "E-Azerbaijan" state program on ICT development, he said.
Azerbaijan is among 34 countries that have established an association to combat the ICT sector's negative impact on the environment.