Brussels, 08/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - The digital industry will play a key role in combatting climate change if it makes intelligent use of the new technology it is developing, explains a report published on Tuesday 8 April 2008 by EICTA (European Information and Communications Technology Industry Forum) on 'High Tech, Low Carbon'. The report identifies how different technologies can be applied by other sectors of the economy to cut CO2 emissions so that Europe can achieve its emission reduction targets (a 20% cut in emissions by 2020) and details moves to be encouraged by companies and consumers to behave more responsibly. At present, the digital industry produces 2% of global CO2 emissions - as much as the aviation industry - due to the proliferation of obsolete technological equipment that uses a lot of energy. Modern equipment is more compact, is multifunctional and uses less energy, explains EICTA, citing machines that can print, fax, photocopy and scan and the latest mobile phones that do all sorts of things in addition to being telephones. Equipment to make driving easier, like GPS, enables both time and energy to be saved. The report identifies a total of 25 technologies which can be applied by other sectors of the economy and are invaluable for the ecological future of the planet because they mean that economic growth no longer has to mean greater energy consumption, which is the core problem. EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding welcomed the report's conclusions, strongly encouraging industry to make use of the full potential of new technology to combat environmental challenges. The Commission will soon be publishing a report on using ICT to save energy, in order to best discern the objectives to be met and the obstacles to be overcome, she added. The EICTA report can be downloaded at http: //http://www.eicta.org (I.L.)