The Role of IT Professionals in Slowing Climate Change
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Full story: The Role of IT Professionals in Slowing Climate Change
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Introduction
The environment, and in particular climate change, is finally being taken seriously. It's no longer viewed as an issue for tree-hugging environmentalists and Governments to sort out. Faced with the reality that climate change is as much an economic threat as it is an environmental one, slowing its impact is finally reaching board-level and becoming integral to corporate strategy.
The latest findings from Version One's research indicate that IT professionals are also genuinely concerned about the impact their organisations are having on the environment. With 98 per cent of those surveyed stating that they're concerned about the damage their company is inflicting on the environment, it's encouraging that the IT industry has faced the reality that climate change IS happening, and that slowing its effects is a major priority.
But what, in reality, can IT professionals do to reduce their and their organisations' negative impact on the environment? Can IT professionals really make a difference or should the issue of climate change be left to the Government and business leaders to sort-out? Are there REALLY business as well as environmental benefits of 'going green'?
Taking climate change seriously
Ten years ago, the issue of climate change rarely hit the headlines. Environmental campaigners were forced to undertake extreme measures in order to get their voices heard and The Green Party was the only UK political party serious about the negative impact mankind was having on the environment. Ten years on, all UK political parties and business leaders across the world are now taking environmental issues seriously. Climate change and global warming are now 'hot issues' with even the biggest 'green' sceptic ten years ago, now discussing their carbon footprint and ways to off-set CO2 emissions.
The fact is that reputable scientists, campaigners and researchers worldwide have finally made people 'sit-up and take notice' of the negative impact mankind is having on the climate. With the publishing of the Stern Report1, which links climate change and the economy, Governments and business leaders are also realising that if they don't start to take positive action to slow climate change, the world's economy will be seriously affected!
In a nutshell, the Stern Report asserts that climate change could shrink the global economy by a phenomenal 20 per cent. If temperatures rise 5°C above pre-industrial levels as is expected, global food production will be severely disrupted, flooding will affect millions with some being permanently displaced, and up to 40 per cent of species could face extinction. However, by taking action now to reverse the effects, it would cost just one per cent of the global gross domestic product. For every £1 invested we can save £5, or possibly more, by acting now, which is a huge incentive for businesses to act immediately.
As well as avoiding the negative economic affects of climate change, Stern also contends that by shifting the world onto a low-carbon path, the global economy would eventually increase by an incredible $2.5 trillion every year. In addition, by 2050, markets for low-carbon technologies could be worth at least $500 billion.
IT professionals - do they actually care and what can they do?
What about IT professionals? Do they actually care and if so, what impact can they make at an organisational level?
Research by Version One indicates that IT professionals are indeed concerned about climate change and, in particular, the negative impact their organisations are having on the environment.
Version One carried out the research with 100 senior IT professionals (IT directors and managers) across a range of public and private sector organisations. The findings show that 98 per cent of senior IT professionals are concerned about the negative impact their company is having on the environment, with 56 per cent of these admitting to being VERY concerned. Interestingly, all 100 respondents believe that more needs to be done to reduce the damage UK companies are inflicting on the world's ecosystem.
When asked about the type of measures required to reduce organisations' negative impact, there were mixed ideas. Nearly one fifth of respondents - 19 per cent - believe that financial incentives together with legislation and a 'green' education programme are required. 17 per cent of respondents suggest that financial incentives alone are the answer, whilst 16 per cent believe that a 'green' education programme is sufficient and 13 per cent feel that legislation alone would encourage businesses to become more eco-friendly. Penalties given to environmentally-unfriendly businesses, greater collaboration with world leaders and nuclear power projects are amongst the other measures put forward by respondents.
All these suggestions are large-scale, sweeping measures that would be the responsibility of the Government and powerful business groups to implement. Not a single respondent suggested measures that IT professionals themselves could implement within their organisations. Does this suggest that IT professionals see climate change as everyone else's problem but their own? Or maybe IT professionals feel that the part they can play in cutting CO2 emissions is so miniscule that it makes no difference what they do! Whatever the reason, the reality is that there's plenty that IT professionals can do at an organisation level to help reduce CO2 emissions and their company's overall environmental impact.
Implementing low impact, high-efficiency technologies
Going forward, there will be increasing demand for low carbon and low impact technologies which help to reduce CO2 emissions without being detrimental to business efficiency.
One such technology already available is electronic document management, which reduces both paper consumption and CO2 emissions whilst improving organisation-wide efficiency. This technology, which replaces paper-based processes with electronic procedures, eliminates the printing, posting and manual filing of paper documents. Directly from a company's accounting/ERP system and with just a few clicks of the mouse, 'paperless office' technology enables business documents, such as invoices and statements, to be automatically created, delivered, archived and retrieved.
By dramatically reducing the amount of paper a business uses, more trees are saved from destruction. Even when sustainable tree planting ensures a sapling is planted every time a tree is destroyed, this is not as beneficial to the environment as allowing trees to grow to full maturity. Each tree locks-in approximately one tonne of carbon during its lifetime and so by saving more trees, greater amounts of carbon are being naturally sequestered from the atmosphere.
Using less paper also has knock-on effects throughout the supply chain. For instance, carbon is emitted during the manufacture of stationery, by vans/lorries during paper transportation and by electricity whilst storing the paper. Eliminating document printing also removes carbon emissions during the printing process and during the manufacture of toner cartridges.
In addition to its environmental benefits, document management technology also provides a range of business benefits from cutting costs and improving organisation-wide efficiency through to freeing-up storage space and improving customer service.
Ensuring low-energy consumption
Furthermore, the IT professional needs to look into improving the company's entire IT infrastructure - from data centre through to PC. Are the company's current technologies as environmentally-friendly as they could be, or might they be emitting unnecessarily large amounts of CO2? Perhaps the company is using more servers than are actually needed. It's also worth considering lower power consumption servers which some vendors are now introducing. Obviously, PC efficiency, including computer-sharing, needs to be considered. Using new PC-multiplying software, the power of a single computer can be spread to a number of separate workstations, allowing computer-sharing and draining less energy.
Considering hardware from cradle to grave
As well as selecting the best low-impact technologies for the business and ensuring they have low energy consumption levels, IT professionals also need to consider how hardware has been made, where it's been made, how it's packaged for delivery and, at the end of its life, how it's disposed of.
Questions to be considered include the following:
- What chemicals have been used in the manufacture of the product? Are more environmentally-friendly alternatives available? (Dell says it will eliminate the use of all brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in its products by 2009.)
- Is the technology recyclable?
- Are spares easy to get hold of?
- Has the product been flown all around the world? Can't it be sourced locally?
- Has the product been packaged responsibly and can the packing be recycled?
- Can a local charity or school benefit from the technology when it's no longer required?
Educating staff on best practice
IT professionals also need to consider educating staff on how technology should be used to minimise waste and maximise efficiency. For instance, the importance of shutting-down PCs and monitors when leaving the office and reducing unnecessary printing should be explained to staff. Staff should also be taught how to use web and/or video conferencing in order to cut down on non-essential car travel.
Supporting organisation-wide initiatives
Over and above IT-specific measures, it's important to be supportive in the organisation's quest to reduce CO2 emissions. Travelling by public transport rather than by car, supporting the recycling of office waste and sourcing materials from 'green' suppliers are just some of the organisation-wide measures which require the buy-in of all staff.
The benefits of going green
The environmental benefits of 'going green' are obvious, but what of the business benefits? Sometimes these are overlooked and instead 'going green' is regarded as being costly and a hassle! In fact, implementing CO2 reducing technologies and initiatives can provide numerous business benefits from cutting costs and helping win new business, through to improving efficiency, staff morale and customer relationships.
Companies that have implemented document management solutions are not only reducing their paper use and carbon emissions, they're also enjoying a range of business benefits. For example, by implementing document storage technology, Endsleigh Insurance Services has eliminated the twelve mile roundtrip to its offsite archive facility, cutting down on CO2 emissions. At the same time, the company has revolutionised its purchase-to-pay cycle. The time it takes to approve an invoice has been reduced by five days, helping to avoid late payment charges. Invoices can no longer get 'lost' and the quick and easy access to purchase invoices is allowing managers to more effectively control expenditure.
Conclusion
Evidence suggests that climate change IS happening and that mankind is speeding it up! What we do over the next 10 to 20 years will have a profound effect on the climate and so Governments and businesses worldwide are being increasingly pressurised to 'do their bit' to reduce CO2 emissions. IT professionals can also play a vital role in slowing climate change. Their knowledge and expertise can be used to ensure business technologies are as efficient as possible whilst causing minimal damage to the environment. 'Going green' not only has environmental benefits, it also makes sound business sense and so IT professionals can also assist their organisations financially and operationally, from cutting costs and improving cash flow through to strengthening customer relationships and enhancing efficiency.
- Source: National Computing Centre
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