Digitization And E-governance Have Helped Save Planet Earth, A Small Example From Serbia

Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić,. (photo: weforum.org)

JAKARTA - Digitalization and e-governance can seem like abstract concepts. However, during the World Economic Forum's Global Technology Governance Summit session, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić gave an example of how virtual use can have an impact in the real world.

Brnabić explains how digitalization has become central to everything the country's government is trying to achieve.

“This includes a shift to e-governance to make the government 'fully citizen-centric',” he explained, as quoted by weforum.org. But the benefits have gone beyond efficiency and increased transparency.

“Since the introduction of electronic services began on June 1 2017, the government has saved more than 180 million sheets of A4 paper,” said Brnabić at the Transformation of Leading Industry session.

"That means we have saved 900 tons of paper, which is 18,000 trees, more than 76 million liters of water, more than 6,000 megawatt hours of electricity," he explained.

He thinks It's just 'little Serbia'. Imagine what would happen, and the impact it would have on planet Earth, if the larger nations followed suit.

This focus on digitization is also helping the country meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic - with education being a particular success story as children can turn to online learning.

Energy Implications of Data

Of course, moving documents online is not without environmental concerns. Pre-pandemic research shows that data centers use about 200 terawatt hours of energy each year - just 1% of global electricity demand, but more than some countries' energy consumption. This usage will continue to increase. One model suggests that ICT use of electricity could exceed 20% of the global total by the end of the decade.

However, organizations such as Amazon Web Services and Facebook are working to improve the sustainability of their data centers, including increasing the use of renewable energy to power.

So, e-governance may not only be more convenient and efficient, but it can also help to save the planet, one A4 sheet at a time.