When it comes to green initiatives, many managers think that business travel is the low-hanging fruit. But a new report out today from a British non-profit, Global Action Plan, suggests that IT will soon emit more CO2 than travel. The study, titled “The Inefficient Truth,” found that:
There are more than one billion computers on the planet, and the worldwide ICT [information and communication technology] sector is responsible for around 2% of man made CO2 each year – a similar figure to the global airline industry.
Among the report’s more shocking statistics: A medium-sized server has a similar carbon footprint to an SUV achieving 15 miles to the gallon. The author of the report, Trewin Restorick, spoke to the House of Commons today and complained that IT departments have been “incredibly slow to get off the mark” when it comes to reducing their carbon footprints.
Of course, as citizens IT professionals should be concerned about the environmental impact of their data centers and other facilities, but managers also need to pay attention to these issues for hard-nosed business reasons. Greater efficiency means lower energy bills. The study provides five case studies outlining simple steps IT departments can take to shrink their carbon footprint.
