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| Inefficient ICT Sector’s Carbon Emissions Set to Surpass Aviation Industry The ICT sector in the UK has a carbon footprint similar to the aviation industry and its skyrocketing growth means it will soon surpass the poster child for climate change, a report by Global Action Plan with guidance from the Environmental IT Leadership Team (EILT) has revealed. Worryingly, 86% of ICT departments surveyed for the report do not know the carbon footprint of their activities and less than 20% even see their energy bills. The growth in carbon emissions from the sector is being exacerbated by Government policies requiring higher levels of data to be stored. Encouragingly, increased efficiencies using proven techniques could lead to rapid and significant carbon savings. Most ICT professionals are aware of green technology and would like to be involved in sustainability initiatives. But they are in great need of support to do so. The report 'An Inefficient Truth' was advised by the EILT; the UK's first independent expert user group focused on exploring and publishing best practice sustainable Information Communication Technology (ICT) strategies. The environmental charity Global Action Plan today calls on the UK government to introduce legislation and tax incentives to support the adoption of sustainable ICT policies and strategy in British businesses. The report includes a national survey that is the first to measure awareness between the use of ICT in business and its contribution to the UK's carbon footprint; identify the proportion of companies seeking energy efficient strategies; and to promote examples of best practice. Key findings in the report include: • 61% of UK data centres only have the capacity for two years of growth. • 37% of companies are storing data indefinitely due to government policy. • Nearly 40% of servers are underutilised by more than 50%. • 80% of respondents do not believe their company's data policies are environmentally sustainable. Trewin Restorick, director of Global Action Plan and chair of the EILT, comments, "ICT equipment currently accounts for 3-4% of the world's carbon emissions, and 10% of the UK's energy bill. The average server, for example, has roughly the same annual carbon footprint as an SUV doing 15 miles-per-gallon! With a carbon footprint now equal to the aviation industry, ICT, and how businesses utilise ICT, will increasingly come under the spotlight as governments seek to achieve carbon-cutting commitments." The survey, which was completed by CIOs, IT directors and senior decision makers from 120 UK enterprises, found that over 60% of respondents consider time pressures and cost the biggest barriers to adopting sustainable ICT policies, and believe that recognised standards and tax allowances would provide the most valuable support towards reducing ICT's contribution to the UK's carbon emissions. Restorick adds, "The survey illustrates that ICT departments have been slow off the mark to address their carbon footprint. Awareness is now growing but to turn this into action, ICT departments need help. They need vendors to give them better information rather than selling green froth, they need Government policies to become more supportive and less contradictory, and they need more support from within their organisations." Logicalis, international ICT provider and sponsors of 'An Inefficient Truth', agrees that legislation and tax incentives are important, but, first and foremost, businesses must evaluate the efficiency of existing ICT infrastructure, citing server under-utilisation and the data centre as prime examples of energy abuse. Tom Kelly, managing director for Logicalis UK, comments: "The government's draft climate change bill proposes a 60% cut in emissions by 2050. In this environment, a flabby business that guzzles budget and energy is likely to be a prime target for impending legislation. "CIOs have a responsibility to ensure their ICT infrastructure can support a lean and dynamic business, yet as this survey demonstrates, many ICT departments are unsure if and how they can maximise their existing assets. With data centre capacity at a premium, and energy bills escalating, CIOs are well advised to look inward for energy saving initiatives and to instigate cultural change throughout the business. In short, efficient IT equals green IT." As a result of the survey Global Action Plan is calling on ICT vendors and the government to provide businesses with the support and tools to implement ICT best practice. These demands include: • Government to provide incentives to help companies reduce the carbon footprint of their IT activities. • Government to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of energy for data centre needs in the future. • Government to review its policies on long-term data storage to take into account the carbon implications. • ICT vendors to significantly improve the quality of their environmental information. • ICT departments to be accountable for the energy costs of running and cooling ICT equipment. • Companies to ensure ICT departments are fully engaged in their CSR and environmental policies. • Companies to ensure that their ICT infrastructure meets stricter efficiency targets. Gary Hird, Technical Strategy Manager for John Lewis Partnership and member of the EILT comments: "Green Computing is an opportunity for us all to clearly demonstrate IT's value in helping our companies tackle an urgent, and global, issue. It is vital that we do a good job collectively and that means being open about the specific problems we're facing and the solutions we're pursuing. The Global Action Plan survey provides a 'current state' understanding of companies' green IT initiatives and the obstacles we must overcome to help them succeed." write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Networking News :: home page |