8.1 Data processing, hosting and related activities (climate change adaptation)

Kurzbeschreibung

Storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission or reception of diversity of data through data centres ( 618 ), including edge computing. The economic activities in this category could be associated with NACE code J63.1.1 in accordance with the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006.

Wirtschaftsaktivität (EU-Taxonomie)

Rechtsakt: 2021/2139, Anhang II, Abschnitt 8.1 · INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

Umweltziel: climate change adaptation

NACE-Codes: J63.1

Beschreibung

Storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission or reception of diversity of data through data centres ( 618 ), including edge computing. The economic activities in this category could be associated with NACE code J63.1.1 in accordance with the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006.

Technische Bewertungskriterien

Technical screening criteria Substantial contribution to climate change adaptation 1. The economic activity has implemented physical and non-physical solutions (‘adaptation solutions’) that substantially reduce the most important physical climate risks that are material to that activity. 2. The physical climate risks that are material to the activity have been identified from those listed in Appendix A to this Annex by performing a robust climate risk and vulnerability assessment with the following steps: (a) screening of the activity to identify which physical climate risks from the list in Appendix A to this Annex may affect the performance of the economic activity during its expected lifetime; (b) where the activity is assessed to be at risk from one or more of the physical climate risks listed in Appendix A to this Annex, a climate risk and vulnerability assessment to assess the materiality of the physical climate risks on the economic activity; (c) an assessment of adaptation solutions that can reduce the identified physical climate risk. The climate risk and vulnerability assessment is proportionate to the scale of the activity and its expected lifespan, such that: (a) for activities with an expected lifespan of less than 10 years, the assessment is performed, at least by using climate projections at the smallest appropriate scale; (b) for all other activities, the assessment is performed using the highest available resolution, state-of-the-art climate projections across the existing range of future scenarios ( 619 ) consistent with the expected lifetime of the activity, including, at least, 10 to 30 year climate projections scenarios for major investments. 3. The climate projections and assessment of impacts are based on best practice and available guidance and take into account the state-of-the-art science for vulnerability and risk analysis and related methodologies in line with the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports ( 620 ), scientific peer-reviewed publications and open source ( 621 ) or paying models. _____________ ( 618 ) Data centres include the following equipment: ICT equipment and services; cooling; data centre power equipment; data centre power distribution equipment; data centre building; monitoring systems. ( 619 ) Future scenarios include Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change representative concentration pathways RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5. ( 620 ) Assessments Reports on Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, published periodically by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change produces, https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/. ( 621 ) Such as Copernicus services managed by the European Commission. 4. The adaptation solutions implemented: (a) do not adversely affect the adaptation efforts or the level of resilience to physical climate risks of other people, of nature, of cultural heritage, of assets and of other economic activities; (b) favour nature-based solutions ( 622 ) or rely on blue or green infrastructure ( 623 ) to the extent possible; (c) are consistent with local, sectoral, regional or national adaptation plans and strategies; (d) are monitored and measured against pre-defined indicators and remedial action is considered where those indicators are not met; (e) where the solution implemented is physical and consists in an activity for which technical screening criteria have been specified in this Annex, the solution complies with the do no significant harm technical screening criteria for that activity. Do no significant harm (‘DNSH’) (1) Climate change mitigation The activity has demonstrated best efforts to implement the relevant practices listed as ‘expected practices’ in the most recent version of the European Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency ( 624 ), or in CEN-CENELEC document CLC TR50600-99-1 ‘Data centre facilities and infrastructures - Part 99-1: Recommended practices for energy manage­ ment’ ( 625 ) and has implemented all expected practices that have been assigned the maximum value of 5 according to the most recent version of the European Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency. (3) Sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources The activity complies with the criteria set out in Appendix B to this Annex. (4) Transition to a circular economy The equipment used meets the requirements laid down in Directive 2009/125/EC for servers and data storage products. The equipment used does not contain the restricted substances listed in Annex II to Directive 2011/65/EU, except where the concentration values by weight in homogeneous materials do not exceed the maximum values listed in that Annex. A waste management plan is in place and ensures maximal recycling at end of life of electrical and electronic equipment, including through contractual agreements with recycling partners, reflection in financial projections or official project documentation. At its end of life, the equipment undergoes preparation for re-use, recovery or recycling operations, or proper treatment, including the removal of all fluids and a selective treatment in accordance with Annex VII to Directive 2012/19/EU. (5) Pollution prevention and control N/A (6) Protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems N/A ___________ ( 622 ) Nature-based solutions are defined as ‘solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions’. Therefore, nature-based solutions benefit biodiversity and support the delivery of a range of ecosystem services (version of 4.6.2021: https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/environment/nature-based-solutions_en/). ( 623 ) See Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Green Infrastructure (GI) — Enhancing Europe’s Natural Capital (COM/2013/0249 final). ( 624 ) The most recent version of the European Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency is the latest version published at the Joint Research Centre European Energy Efficiency Platform (E3P) website, https://e3p.jrc.ec.europa.eu/communities/data-centres- code-conduct, with a transition period of six months starting from the day of its publication (the 2021 version is available at https://e3p.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications/2021-best-practice-guidelines-eu-code-conduct-data-centre-energy-efficiency). ( 625 ) Issued on 1 July 2019 by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), (version of 4.6.2021: https://www.cenelec.eu/dyn/www/f?p=104:110:508227404055501::::FSP_ORG_ ID,FSP_PROJECT,FSP_LANG_ID:1258297,65095,25).