Get real to reduce carbon emissions

Technology still needs to function, and that means it will use electricity

The publication of the government’s long-awaited green IT strategy raises an interesting question for the role of technology in reducing carbon emissions.

The plan aims to make public sector IT carbon neutral ­ – a welcome and headline-grabbing statement in these environmentally-conscious times.

But is it really practical to think of technology as being completely carbon-free?

The quickest way to achieve that goal is to simply switch off every government computer system ­ – it might meet the objectives, but it’s not exactly a viable, or indeed practical, solution.

One of the common fallacies of carbon management is the idea that it is all or nothing.

Going green does not mean producing no CO2 at all ­ – it means reducing it to scientifically acceptable levels that allow the planet’s natural carbon processing cycle to function effectively.

IT managers under pressure to follow the government’s stated aim would do well to consider a different approach.

Think of it more like going on a diet.

If, say, you’re a size 18 and want to be less ­ – do you really want to be a size zero? Surely if you make it down to size 16 you have achieved something.

If every IT installation with a size 18 carbon footprint slimmed down to a 16, that would make a hefty contribution to reducing emissions. If they all made it down to a size 12, even better.

But a world of size zeros? Technology still needs to function, and for the foreseeable future, that means it will use electricity.

The challenge for IT managers is that no one knows, in green terms, what is the optimum size to aim for.

Sharing best practice on how to carbon-slim from one size to another would be a start, and this is slowly starting to emerge. As the government makes progress on its new green strategy, it must become an example of what can be done.

Every firm needs a green IT plan ­ – but make it realistic and achievable.