- The United Nations communications technology agency has given its stamp of approval to a new energy-efficient one-size-fits-all mobile telephone charger, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has announced.
The standardised phone charger will fit all future handsets, regardless of make and model, enabling users worldwide to charge their mobiles anywhere from any available charger, while also reducing the energy consumed while charging, said ITU.
Using the Universal Charging Solution (UCS) will lead to a dramatic reduction in the number of chargers produced, shipped and subsequently discarded as new phone models become available.
The new charger is estimated to cut standby energy consumption by 50 percent and eliminate 51,000 tons of redundant chargers, resulting in a reduction of 13.6 million tons in greenhouse gas emissions each year.
“This is a significant step in reducing the environmental impact of mobile charging, which also has the benefit of making mobile phone use more straightforward,” said the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, Malcolm Johnson.
“Universal chargers are a commonsense solution that I look forward to seeing in other areas,” said Mr Johnson.
At next month’s UN climate change talks in Barcelona, ITU will underscore the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, citing a recent study that predicts a 15 percent reduction of total global emissions by 2020 with the more effective use of ICTs currently on the market.
ITU stressed that the number of ICT users has tripled worldwide since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997, which commits countries which signed to limit emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels on average over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012.
But ITU said that the role of ICTs in significantly cutting emissions is not recognised in the current draft text - which will be under negotiation at the talks in Barcelona from 2-6 November ahead of Copenhagen climate change summit in December - for a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period ends in 2012.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español