Debating Green Telecommunications

Posted on: 09 September 2016

Leader of the Green Party, Mr Eamon Ryan, TD, will chair a debate, “There is no such thing as Green Communications”, at the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin on Monday 12th September.

The debate is open to the public as part of the 4th International Workshop on Green Wireless Networks (Next-GWIN), hosted by CONNECT. CONNECT is the Science Foundation Ireland research centre for Future Networks and Communications, headquartered at Trinity.

“At the heart of this debate is the observation that not every communications system which calls itself energy efficient is environmentally friendly,” says workshop host, Professor Luiz DaSilva, Professor of Telecommunications at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity. “The debate proposition is a bit of a provocation, challenging the idea of ‘green’ in the context of the telecommunications industry and asking if it represents a genuine ecological effort.”

Debating the motion will be Professor Linda Doyle, Professor of Engineering and the Arts and Director of the CONNECT Centre at Trinity College, Professor Lajos Hanzo, Chair of Telecommunications at the University of Southampton, and Professor Sofie Pollin, Assistant Professor at KU Leuven in Belgium, will speak against the motion.

“We would like to see the communications industry take a much broader view of Green possibilities,” adds Professor DaSilva. “In the ICT world, Green is typically associated with energy consumption issues. What would green communications look like if more attention were given to issues such as the use of raw materials in the stages of production and the accumulation of electronic waste as a result of consumer activity?

“The debate will bring together leading experts from across the ICT field to open up these issues. Hopefully, we can begin a conversation that will lead to different pathways for future research in the area.”

The debate begins at 4 pm, Monday 12th September, in the Paccar Theatre at the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin. No registration is necessary. The event is free of charge.

Those interested in attending the two-day academic conference – Next GWIN – must register in advance. Details at www.next-gwin.org