New JAAG Article on Greening Digital
Interest in sustainable IT is growing. The British Computer Society (BCS) has just published, on 20 May, in their magazine ITNOW for computer professionals, an article by JAAG’s Andrew Nind and Siani Pearson (https://doi.org/10.1093/itnow/bwae059) – in which they explain how the assessment of digital technologies from a climate perspective can be misleading, and why the use of smaller systems should be considered.
Carbon footprints tend to be calculated on an operational basis, without quantification of the embedded carbon. Furthermore – and rarely assessed numerically – the way in which energy-related emissions are accounted for tends to significantly understate the operational emissions that are physically caused by the sector. A more holistic assessment of the climate impact of ICT, combined with greater accountability for its emissions, could potentially lead to different courses of action: for instance, a greater focus on low energy models and data streamlining and less of a focus on location for new developments.
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