Carbon and the climate

INFORMATION technology is often viewed as a “polluter” in the current climate change debate, but it has a critical role to play in addressing the problem, a report finds.

The University of Wollongong Working Group on the Carbon-Centric Computing Initiative has released a study that suggests IT could fundamentally alter the climate change debate.

IT-enabled smart logistics, smart energy use, smart utilities and ubiquitous optimisation could support a global online collaboration infrastructure that ensures minimisation of the global carbon footprint, said the report’s co-author Professor Aditya Ghose, director of the Decision Systems Laboratory in the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering at UOW.

The report describes how existing web infrastructure could be leveraged to devise the optimising web to deliver a large-scale, global network of optimisers helping support decisions that would reduce the carbon footprint and improve business efficiency.

Computer-based simulation technology could enable sustainable manufacturing and environmental management at the enterprise level, it said.

The other two authors of the report are: UOW academics Associate Professor Helen Hasan (Activity Theory Usability Laboratory director in the School of Economics) and Professor Trevor Spedding (School of Management and Marketing head).

Business should receive “credits” for putting in place IT-based optimisation solutions, which would reduce the carbon footprint, the authors said.

The CCCI seeks to seed research that addresses the climate change problem with a range of computing technologies including optimisation technologies, supply chain management technologies, business process management/process improvement technologies and grid computing.
- The Australian – Jennifer Foreshew | September 23, 2008

Is the idea of tackling climate change with a range of computing technologies really that new? Or does this report merely showcase how ineffectual our decision making process is? Must there be dozens of reports and studies into the same issue to prompt change?

Indeed, it does make sense that there should be consensus on a given issue, and the issue of climate change STILL today receives much criticism from all levels of society. Regardless of whether or not global warming is caused by humans, I am of the opinion that we should nevertheless change our ways and become more environmentally friendly, and work towards reducing the impact that we, as humans, have on the world and its environments.

But seriously, a report saying that “Computer-based simulation technology could enable sustainable manufacturing and environmental management at the enterprise level”, who are they kidding? This idea is so old, and used so often nowadays, it’s not funny. But no doubt it is a reminder that something NEEDS to start. Something needs to happen. As a society, around the world, we are moving too slowly. We are being pressured by companies who don’t want to foot the costs, who don’t want to have to take accountability for externalities. Which in turn usually means that weak, uesless legislation is passed, that is a nod, but not a firm blow, to the issue at hand.