Of all industry sectors, ICT is emerging as one of the strongest candidates to lead the fight against climate change, says Emily Farnworth

It is not usually the first culprit that comes to mind in the global warming debate, but the information and communication technology sector accounts for nearly 2 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to IT consultants Gartner. This puts it roughly on a par with the airline industry.

With our hunger for information and global connectivity showing no sign of being sated, it is easy to imagine a world where energy is drained by the proliferation of gadgets and gizmos, products and services. Thankfully, the exponential growth in communications and information transfer around the world is not matched by an exponential growth in carbon dioxide emissions.

While the processing power of personal computers doubles every couple of years, their energy use does not, thanks to improvements in efficiency. Furthermore, many producers of ICT equipment have teamed up under the Climate Savers Computing Initiative with the intention of cutting computers’ power consumption by 50 per cent by 2010.

Beyond PCs, the growing trend of “virtualising” data services – removing data storage and other computing tasks from companies’ own sites to more-efficient specialist centres via the internet – can result in up to 80 per cent reductions in space, power and cooling needs. And some data centres, such as Google’s, are being built near renewable energy supplies and in cooler climes to take advantage of cheaper, cleaner power and natural air cooling.

In both Europe and the US, the growth of the internet and the wider ICT sector has coincided with a decoupling of energy use from GDP growth, and recent studies have aimed to prove that it is growth in ICT that is causing this trend.

A 2008 study by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has gone as far as to claim that ICT is driving changes in the US economy so that for every extra kilowatt-hour that has been demanded by ICT, the US economy has increased its overall energy savings by a factor of about ten – mainly achieved through making business activities more efficient.

Smart solutions

Transferring ICT services to new sites lies at the heart of the sector’s potential to fight climate change. A study by the AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association) in 2007 suggested that ICT had a significant role to play in delivering Europe’s targets for a 20 per cent reduction in energy consumption by 2020. The AeA figures point to an exciting role for ICT to unlock carbon emissions reductions from other sectors and business activities.

“Smart meters” – made by firms ranging from multinationals such as ABB to boutique start-ups like DIY Kyoto – provide the ability to better manage energy in homes, offices and factories. Energy suppliers can read these gas and electricity meters remotely, meaning no more estimated bills. Or they display energy use in monetary terms, rather than kilowatt-hours, making it easier for customers to gauge their power consumption. The smartest new meters allow customers to monitor their energy use online to pinpoint areas where power is being wasted.

“Smart grid” systems are being developed by companies such as Itron that integrate smart metering, demand response, storage and distribution to enhance reliability of the grid and pave the way for increasing the contribution of intermittent, renewable power sources. Software that accurately maps forests is being used by ImageTree, a company that uses remote sensing imagery software to provide accurate forest inventories and enable better forestry management, a crucial tool given that deforestation accounts for 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.

Not forgetting the benefits of telecommunications, a 2006 study commissioned by the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association and WWF, entitled “Saving the Climate at the Speed of Light”, suggested that through a combination of virtual meetings and flexible working, Europe could cut its emissions by more than 50 million tonnes of CO2 a year.

Using ICT to measure and manage energy is likely to facilitate greater emission reductions across industry sectors. ICT has a lot to bring to the table, both in terms of deep emissions cuts and economic prosperity. It is something that until now has been largely overlooked and unexplored and requires a shift in our thinking to realise the benefits. We have the tools and the capability at our fingertips – what we need is to get smart about using them.

Emily Farnworth is director of corporate engagement at the Climate Group.
efarnworth@theclimategroup.com
www.theclimategroup.com

The Climate Group is partnering with the Global eSustainability Initiative (GeSI) on the first global study on the role of ICT in climate change with the aim of understanding both the direct and indirect carbon impacts of the sector, and scoping the scale of opportunities that exist. The project will report in June. For more information, see www.theclimategroup.org/ict.



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