AT&T wants to help its customers cut their carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions by a gigaton before 2035, and its Connected Climate Initiative, announced last week, aims to do just that.

The initiative promotes the adoption of clean technology and AT&T’s connectivity services, which include 5G and IoT, to help customers and partners reduce their greenhouse emissions. AT&T has already garnered support from several technology companies — including Microsoft and Equinix — in addition to AT&T Business customers, universities, and nonprofit organizations.

According to John Schulz, director of sustainability at AT&T, the collaboration is instrumental to the operator’s environmental efforts, and AT&T plans to add more partner organizations to the initiative over time. “We absolutely hope this grows to drive the scale that we need,” he said.

The Connected Climate Initiative boasts a two-birds-with-one-stone effect, Schulz said.

AT&T’s connectivity offers a “very strong” return on investment by helping companies bring a new product to market, drive efficiency, and/or lower costs within their operations, he explained, adding the program also serves to educate members on how the carrier's connectivity services can reduce emissions and meet environmental targets.

One way connectivity can reduce emissions is through increased efficiency. Using AT&T’s 5G, edge computing, and IoT, organizations can gather more data in real-time. “Fundamentally, it drives efficiency. You're able to cut [energy] waste and other resources because all of a sudden you could see something that you couldn't see before,” Schulz said.

One example of this is fleet optimization. Companies can use increased connectivity to track their vehicle routes and driving behaviors. Using that information, they can then chart the most efficient routes and reduce emissions.

Connectivity can also accelerate the development of clean technologies. According to Schulz, this is necessary to “disrupt things from the old carbon-dependent world,” transition to clean energy, and avoid the impact of the climate crisis.

AT&T and Duke Energy are working together to explore the use of sensors and connectivity in natural gas operations to identify and reduce leaks. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for 40% of warming since the industrial revolution.

The operator is also working with ChargePoint on its electric vehicle charging stations. “We believe that [a] connected device or connected vehicle that interacts with its surroundings can speed things like automation” and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, Schulz said. 

“We're excited about this idea of fundamentally shifting the way things work, and that we can play a role in that,” Schulz said.

AT&T also aims to become carbon neutral across its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2035, though this goal will be measured independently of the collaborative gigaton goal. 

The operator will pursue its scope 1 and 2 targets by continuing to implement energy efficiency and procure renewable energy, Schulz said. AT&T recently ranked No. 7 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership National Top 100 list, making it the highest-ranked telecom operator in terms of naturally-replenishing renewable energy usage.

“By setting that gigaton goal and by launching the Connected Climate Initiative, we feel like we're demonstrating that we understand the seriousness of this challenge and the pressure that our customers are feeling to cut emissions,” Schulz said. “We want to be there to help them.”