The Price of Emission

More and more people are drawing conclusive links between computer technology and carbon dioxide emissions linked by science to global warming and environmental destruction. Experts agree that it is important for representatives of the global information and communications technology industry to understand the correlations between the technology upon which it relies for business operations and growing threats to the world environment.

By discovering the facts behind environmental concerns and relating them to Green IT efforts, businesses can make necessary changes to reduce carbon footprints and improve respective competitive abilities in industries that are quickly becoming environmentally sustainable for a variety of reasons.

The global IT industry generates 2% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. While that number sounds small, it actually compares to the CO2 amount created by the world's aviation industry, according to Gartner Research.

That estimate was based on the cumulative amount of energy that PCs, servers, cooling systems, fixed- and mobile-phone systems, local-area networks, office telecommunications and printers use within the world's corporate and business community. During the next five years, increasing energy, financial, environmental, legislative and risk-related pressures will force IT organizations to prove their environmental sustainability. Analysts predict that more than a third of IT organizations will have one or more environmental criteria in their top six buying conditions by 2010.

Here are some important ideas to consider:
• The global IT industry needs to gain a better understanding of the full life cycle of products and services and how to innovate to reduce environmental impact.
• Chief among the areas for innovation to reduce CO2 emissions are the reduction of the materials used in manufacturing high-tech equipment and energy consumption, in addition to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of recycling and the use of recycled materials.
• IT and electronic equipment traditionally have negative effects on the environment related to manufacturing, use and disposal.
• Advances in technology and lower prices are encouraging faster computer replacement rather than the option of upgrading to prolong equipment life cycles.
• Business and public consumers are growing more concerned and expressive about the consumption of large amounts of energy and the production of carbon dioxide by PCs, data centers and certain electronic devices, Gartner notes.
• Vendors that have tried to address environmental issues for years will finally find the enterprise and consumer doors opening, with Green IT becoming a differentiator with a potential price premium.
• Gartner advises businesses to ask IT vendors about their environmental policies and practices, particularly what they are doing to minimize power consumption and environmental impact throughout the life cycle of products or services, from design to end-of-life disposal.
• Other measures recommended by experts include extending the life of assets by reusing equipment within the enterprise and externally, and ensuring and validating the correct disposition of all electronic equipment.

We’re all got to work together to communicate our Green IT efforts and achievements.