CIO OPINION
Sustainable Tech , asks us to mitigate technology ’ s negative environmental impacts through our IT operations and purchasing decisions .
the centers ’ power usage effectiveness – is offsetting growth in demand .
Of course , powering data centers and networks with renewable energy is a priority intervention . The major cloud providers and many network operators have made impressive sustainability gains . As a result , Accenture estimates that the average on-premise to cloud migration reduces energy consumption by 65 % and cuts carbon emissions by 84 %.
Sustainable Tech has captured the attention of global leaders . The Canadian government has recognized its importance in its Greening Government Strategy . France , Belgium and Switzerland have national organizations focused on sustainable IT and Germany funds a research group on digitalization and sustainability . Recently , several companies founded the European Green Digital Coalition to support the EU ’ s green and Digital Transformation .
The path forward
We all have a role in promoting Sustainable Tech to minimize digitalization ’ s risks while realizing its promise . Addressing this challenge demands government and private sector leadership , tapping the expertise of academics and environmental non-profits .
A Sustainable Tech approach requires CIOs and tech executives across all industries to ask vital questions , such as : What is the carbon footprint of our IT operations and supply chain ? How can we integrate environmental considerations into data center and cloud infrastructure decisions ? How would environmental considerations affect our decisions around data collection , use , exchange and storage ? And what equipment and device purchasing , upgrading and disposal policies could reduce our environmental impact ?
These are not the kinds of factors CIOs are used to weighing , but companies are starting to move in the right direction . Google , for instance , says it will run all its offices and data centers on carbon-free energy within a decade .
Apple plans to be carbon neutral by 2030 , with Amazon aiming for 2040 .
Microsoft , which became carbon neutral in 2012 , has set an ambitious target to be carbon negative by 2030 and remove all historical carbon emissions by 2050 .
But making our digital lifestyles sustainable will require commitments from companies across the board to build climate considerations into their technology decisions . While technology will be an important component of the solution to climate change , it is also part of the problem . p
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