Chair: John Mahoney
Debaters: Simon Mingay, Mark Raskino (for) David W. Cearley, Rakesh Kumar (against)
The format of this session is quite different from the others I have attended so far. There are four debates and the audience are armed with devices that allow us to vote (like sophisticated, wireless "ask the audience" devices). Two debaters are "for" the proposition that Green IT Matters, and two against.
The audience:
- 91% Believe human activity is driving dangerous climate change
- 79% Would spend money to reduce their business' impact on the environment
Initial vote: Does Green IT really matter? 77% yes, 0% No, 23% undecided
550 million cell phones retired in 2007. End-to-end, they'd circle the earth and then some. Consumers, regulators, investors and employees are all pushing business leaders to green-up.
Research from the university of Tokyo: For every 1000 tons of carbon expended on IT (efficiently and focused in some key areas), 3000 tons can be saved
End vote: Does Green IT really matter? 73% yes, 19% No, 8% undecided
Key issues: increasing the efficiency of IT (which has a similar size global impact as the airline industry) is easier than increasing the efficiency of aircraft. More important still, IT is a key part of reducing an overall carbon footprint—even if the IT carbon footprint increases, it can have a 3-1 impact on an overall carbon footprint.
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