ICT Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Double to 4% by 2020
BIO
Intelligence Service has released "ICT
Sustainability Outlook: An Assessment of the Current State of Affairs and a
Path Towards Improved Sustainability for Public Policies". This is a
white paper prepared with Alcatel-Lucent.
It was completed 15 November 2012, but not released until 6 March 2013, along
with a media
release.
The report finds that the environmental impact of the ICT sector will increase
at a lower rate than the exponential increase in ICT would otherwise suggest,
due to efficiency gains. The report estimates global network traffic will
increase 35 times by 2020. The report estimates current ICT use contributing 2%
of global greenhouse gas emissions (consistent with the first national study
conducted in Australia
in 2007). The report estimates emissions will increase to 4% by 2020. The authors
note that only eight OECD countries have policies to maximize ICT benefit
across the economy.
Australia is mentioned only once in the report, in reference to the production
of rare earth elements. It is disappointing that Australia's pioneering work on
estimating and reducing ICT emissions is not acknowledged. The Australian
Computer Society commissioned two studies into ICT emissions and a professional
ICT Sustainability course,
teaching how to measure and reduce emissions. The course was the first of its
kind in the world, with the course materials designed for on-line delivery and
made freely available. First run by ACS in February 2009, there is a class of
Australian National University masters students undertaking the ANU version of
the course (COMP7310).
The report recommends public policy makers:
- build intelligently by deploying smart infrastructure and, in particular, the smart grid;
- support energy efficient mobile network access;
- anticipate and maximise the benefit of the cloud;
- encourage and support advanced research;
- support industry efforts to harmonise impact assessment methodologies
From: "ICT Sustainability Outlook: An Assessment of the Current State of Affairs and a Path Towards Improved Sustainability for Public Policies", BIO Intelligence Service and Alcatel-Lucent, 15 November 2012