The 2023 World Economic Forum’s get together in Davos heard from the Accenture-sponsored ‘Digital and Climate Network’ from seven chief digital officers who explained how digital transformation ‘can help organizations and companies safely navigate a changing world’. The WEC believes that technology can be a ‘stabilizing factor in a changing world, enhancing business resiliency’. CDOs ‘should scale the use of data and artificial intelligence, while investing on emerging technologies, such as quantum computing’. The WEC/Accenture research claims that digital could deliver up to 20% of the greenhouse gas reduction needed 2050 in high emission industries. To help things along the WEC has published a Digital Solutions Explorer, a showcase of some 30 ‘high-impact digital solutions’ along with ‘getting started’ guidance to enable companies to ‘progress outcomes in efficiency, circularity and scope 3 transparency’. The Forum is also curating an inventory of leading lighthouse examples from partner companies that have implemented digital technologies to reduce their carbon footprint and deliver economic growth.
One enthusiastic CDO is Shell’s Jay Crotts who opined that ‘Digitalization must play a vital role in helping to thrive through the energy transition’. Decarbonization of the energy industry is not possible without a comprehensive digital transformation. Digital technology provides mechanisms and toolsets for optimizing energy efficiency and making it possible to design and operate entirely new and low carbon footprint energy systems at scale. Shell’s ‘2023+ roadmap*’ focuses on digital technology that ‘helps us reduce the footprint of our operations, offer low carbon energy to customers and design the energy system of the future’.
* We could not find any reference to this online.
Another energy industry CDO, Worley’s Geeta Thakorlal added ‘Digital solutions are driving outcomes that were not possible a decade ago. In the energy industry, digitalization can enable faster delivery decisions, improve asset performance and provide visibility to communities. To unlock the full potential that digital offers, we must think and act differently’. Worley advocates a ‘strategy-first and integrated approach to delivering value […] on our journey to a more sustainable world’.
Comment: The WEC is a repeat offender in the digital bullshit domain with previous unsubstantiated claims that digital transformation in oil and gas demonstrated a ‘$1.6 to 2.5 trillion value’ and that blockchain was going to ‘upgrade society’s operating system’. We do agree however with Worley’s Thakorlal’s ‘strategy first’ approach. Just because ‘energy transition’ and ‘digital transformation’ sound similar, they are not! Carbon accounting, be it digital or not, is a futile exercise without a change in strategy. A tough call for an oil company!
Another announcement from the WEC in Davos was the creation of a ‘Centre for Trustworthy Technology’. The CTT is to encourage the ‘responsible and ethical use of emerging technology technologies including artificial intelligence, blockchain, virtual reality and quantum computing’. The CTT was created in collaboration with Deloitte and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and is based in Austin, Texas. McGovern founded IDG, the International Data Group in 1967.
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