Intelligent CIO North America Issue 10 | Page 44

CIO OPINION
Video conferencing helped enable last year ’ s 7 % drop in carbon emissions .
Katie Gibson , Executive at the CIO Strategy Council

Can digital technologies be sustainable ?

Katie Gibson , Executive at the CIO Strategy Council , a non-profit that supports Canada ’ s Digital Transformation , tells us while technology will be an important component of the solution to climate change , it is also part of the problem .

Support for using technology to combat climate change has been snowballing . It ’ s the charismatic party guest who tells thrilling tales of technology conquering climate change .

But what about the earnest guest who frets about the environmental impact of digital technologies ? Who shares their opinions on data centers ’ power usage effectiveness and smartphones ’ total life cycle energy consumption ?
That ’ s the distinction between Tech for Sustainability and Sustainable Tech . So let ’ s raise a glass of local , organic bubbly to both approaches because we ’ re in a climate crisis and we need both .
Tech for Sustainability
The premise of Tech for Sustainability is that new technologies can combat climate change by driving efficient use of resources across all sectors . Digital technologies like Internet of Things , Artificial Intelligence , 5G networks and Digital Twins can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing energy systems , manufacturing , buildings and infrastructure , vehicles and transport and agriculture . Video conferencing helped enable last year ’ s 7 % drop in carbon emissions , which was driven largely by a decline in transportation .
Tech for Sustainability has champions like Bill Gates with his new book , How to Avoid a Climate Disaster .
44 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www . intelligentcio . com