Introduction
The Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) is responsible of 2% of the GHG emissions on the planet. The other 98% are not caused by ICT and this large portion can be re-designed, re-manufactured, re-used and re-cycled much in the similar vein that ICT sector has been doing for the past 40 years. Certainly ICT is not a model for green initiatives (far from it in reality) but it is one of the mature industries to have had policy regulations for decades and is also inherently driven by constant innovations and process improvements. The four main directions where ICT can help other industries turning green are Measurement, Knowledge Management, Virtualization of Goods, Services and People, and Smart Networks.
Contents
- Measurement
- Knowledge Management
- Virtualization of Goods, Services and People
- Smart Networks
- Green Transition Scorecard
Measurement
ICT sector is primarily based on numbers (0 and 1 in fact), and has managed with a certain success to expand almost in every place possible to give a notion of level, a sense of measurement for people, and sometimes, machine, to make decisions. The expansion is not fully complete, and more measurement should be implemented for green initiatives. For example, in the logistics sector, a better ICT system and tools can optimize truck fleet, load, routes to optimize fuel consumption; better commercial and domestic building infrastructure could help to monitor and dynamically adjust electricity, water and heat consumption.
Knowledge Management
The internet is today used as a real-time sharing and collaborating tool for millions of users around the world. With more and more devices connecting to the network, basic or more elaborate knowledge can be transferred in real-time to address the asymmetric information imbalance, responsible for faulty decisions causing climate change happening before our eyes. For example, in the manufacturing sector, using ICT can enable better energy efficiency and control dependency to address the imperfection in the factories; in the automobile industry, standardization of electric car battery could help reduce the initial cost of purchase.
Virtualization of Goods, Services and People
Moving information into the digital world could help to reduce the carbon footprint. Digitalizing all information and reducing paper usage can not only reduce deforestation but help process CO2. The less paper the world uses, the more trees can be used to absorb CO2 emissions. Moreover, by digitalizing people’s interactions and business exchanges, physical transportation can be reduced, which accounts for 13% of CO2 emissions. Teleworking, video conferencing and other virtual shopping are just the beginning of tomorrow consumers’ and employees’ behavior that would lift travel imperative and cheap and dirty energy dependence.
Smart Networks
For a better and more stable world’s climate, scarce resource-sharing on a global scale is what human beings started to put in place. Certain initiatives are now reaching mainstream in the economic sense and public institution are now in the finalities of implementing a better network for electricity (Smart Grid), for computing (Cloud Computing) or for people (Smart Cities).
Green Transition Scorecard
THE GREEN TRANSITION SCOREBOARD® (GTS) is a time-based global tracking of the private financial system for all sectors involved with green markets, producing a transparent line of sight toward the ethical progress of wealth building as defined by the triple bottom line of planet, people and profits.
Contributors:
NQ Logic. “From Green IT to IT for Green.”
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