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Empowering a sustainable and inclusive digital future: A holistic approach to responsible Internet

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Cambodia Youth Internet Governance Forum 2023, Jaewon Son

September 24th, 2023

KIT – The Research University in the Helmholtz Association

www.kit.edu

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Introduction

  • Equitable internet access
  • Digital inclusion & stakeholder participation
  • Ecological impacts & fostering sustainability

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Social-Ecological-Technological System

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Internet access: Factors and impacts

  • Around 2.9 billion people have never used the Internet and 96% of them are living in developing countries (ITU, 2021).

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4%

Rural vs urban

Income

Gender

Geographic

Educational divide

Economic opportunities

Digital literacy gap

Infrastructure development

Risk �e.g.) COVID-19

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The Internet’s�Governance Landscape

ICANN

RIRs

IANA

gTLDs

ccTLDs

Individuals

Businesses

Governments

Organizations

Service Creators and Equipment Builders

Root Servers

Network Operators

Service Creators/Vendors

Internet Exchange Points

gTLDs

ccTLDs

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Other standards Bodies�Affiliated Organizations

IETF .

IAB .

IRTF .

Governments

Multilateral Institutions�Development Agencies

Internet Community�Organizations and�Businesses

Universities and�Academic Institutions

Governments

Governmental �Regional Organizations

Multilateral Institutions

Internet Society

Naming �and Addressing

Local, �National, Regional, and Global Policy Development

Users

Education �and Capacity Building

Open Standards Development

Shared Global�Services and�Operations

INTERNET

ECOSYSTEM

(Adapted from Internet Society, 2016)

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Multi-stakeholder approach

  • When decisions affect diverse groups & interests
  • Shared responsibilities & rights across sectors and borders
  • When multiple forms of expertise are required
  • For decisions where legitimacy & acceptance directly influence implementation

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Internet and environment: Friend or Foe?

  • The Internet emits 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases a year (BBC Science Focus, 2023).
  • Recognizing the Internet's Positive Potential to Minimize Trade-offs and Enhance Synergies
  • Eco-friendly practices: remote work, virtual meetings, reduced paper, and emissions

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The city tree registrar of Karlsruhe and Rheinstetten

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codeforkarlsruhe.github.io/baumkataster

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  • Tree register ("Baumkataster") digital map using the GitHub: all the tree data including location and species of the 88634 trees
  • i-Tree (Java-based software applications): calculate the ecosystem services from trees

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Digitalization of urban trees

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Placing QR codes on trees provides citizens with instant access to tree information and benefits, while also encouraging their participation in surveys, fostering sustainable urban development.

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Son. J., Saha, S. Digitalization of Urban Trees in Karlsruhe, Germany. 5th European Technology Assessment Conference “Digital Future(s). TA in and for a Changing World” (ETAC 2022), Karlsruhe, Germany, July 25-27, 2022. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362437719_Digitalization_of_Urban_Trees_in_Karlsruhe_Germany

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IoT for maximizing energy and energy storage efficiencies

  • High possibility of energy consumption & save energy consumption by tracking actuation time
  • Connecting transmission, distribution, generation, power consumers, operations, markets, services providers
  • Energy information collection, demand-side management, energy sharing and transaction
  • Improving energy and energy storage efficiencies

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Andrew Ng Kay Lup, Vikram Soni, Benjamin Keenan, Jaewon Son, Mohammad Ramezani Taghartapeh, Marcelo Menezes Morato, Yalinu Poya, and Rubén M. Montañés. "Sustainable energy technologies for the Global South: challenges and solutions toward achieving SDG 7." Environmental Science: Advances 2, no. 4 (2023): 570-585.

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Conclusion

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  • In the past decade, Asia fueled over 50% of global tech revenue growth, yet greater sustainability efforts are essential
  • Sustainability and Internet Governance are multifaceted challenges: insights from tech sectors?
  • From empowering digital natives to collective responsibility
  • Social-Ecological-Technological System

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Thank you for listening

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Contact:

Jaewon Son

Doctoral Researcher

Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS),

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Karlstraße 11, 76133 Karlsruhe

jae.son@partner.kit.edu │ https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/staff_son_jaewon.php

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Jaewon Son | Empowering a sustainable and inclusive digital future