SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. report published Thursday said the digital revolution remains a wildcard for global greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts as technology can directly influence 30 percent of the emission cuts needed by 2030.
The research, launched by former United Nations (UN) climate head Christiana Figueres and global sustainability researcher Johan Rockstrom, said the digital revolution already influences the decisions of 3 billion people and businesses every day and is poised to profoundly disrupt the global economy in the next decade.
"How this revolution is directed could make or break international climate targets," said Johan Falk, co-lead author from Future Earth and the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
"Technology will not solve the climate challenge alone. The key is to reach a critical mass of companies, cities, nations, industries and citizens that are contributing to the Paris Agreement and show how attractive this is -- this will create the snowball effect we need to scale solutions," Falk said.
The report also pointed out that stronger policies, digital revolution and greater climate leadership are necessary to accelerate economic transformation, the report said.
In addition, the report said that many companies can cut their own emissions faster than 50 percent every decade and influence their suppliers to do the same. The next frontier is how companies can influence the consumers of their products and services to support low-carbon operations and lifestyles.
The research came after months of unprecedented heat waves, droughts and flooding across the planet which were linked to human-induced climate change that shows even moderate warming can cause global disruption.
