Government To Launch Green CIO Guide Following COP15

The ITU specifically highlights the ability of the ICT industry to reduce carbon emissions by facilitating virtual meetings and providing smart grids, as well as enabling dematerialisation through the production of electronic publications rather than paper and downloading videos instead of buying DVDs. The organisation claims that the recently approved universal phone charger will save at least 13.6 million tons of CO2 a year.

The ITU also claims that including a reference to the ICT sector in the sectoral part of the negotiating text will “provide an incentive to the ICT industry to invest in developing countries, help reduce the digital divide and at the same time help to fight climate change”. Johnson explained that companies in developed countries could be persuaded to invest in emerging markets in exchange for carbon credits.

Other tech companies and analyst groups are also intending to demonstrate the need for ICT to be included in the COP15 agenda. Earlier today it was reported that timber mapping and supply chain specialist Helveta will be showcasing some of its technology at an event in Copenhagen alongside the talks, claiming it is keen to push the benefits its CI World technology in helping with sustainable management of forests.

Market intelligence firm IDC has also announced that it has completed an ICT Sustainability Index, that scores a country’s ability to use ICT to effectively reduce its CO2 emissions. The company believes that the index will help the G20 countries prioritise ICT investments in major sectors, such as manufacturing, transport, and housing, as part of their overall climate change strategy. The company intends to present its results at a press conference in Copenhagen on December 10.

Further evidence that green IT is moving up the political agenda emerged today, when the British Conservative party pledged to create the UK’s first green investment bank, in an attempt to win a larger share of the $3 trillion (£1.8tn) global market in green technologies than its current 5 percent.

The Conservatives also promised that, if elected, they would encourage the private sector to invest in green technology start-ups and introduce Green ISAs, where all the funds invested go to green companies and environmental technologies.