Simon Mingay
Research VP
13 years at Gartner
27 years IT industry
by Simon Mingay | December 11, 2009 | 2 Comments
I don’t have time to summarise this session at the IseeT forum in COP15, but if you have 70 minutes to spare it’s worth your while if you want to get some old and more importantly, some fresh perspectives on the role of ICT.
It ebbs and flows a little, but there are some good points raised by the virtual panelists.
Category: Uncategorized Tags: COP15, Green IT, Sustainability, UN Climate Summit
by Simon Mingay | December 11, 2009 | Comments Off
If you want to get an insight into the debate around the potential positive & negative impacts of technology (far beyond ICT, though same basic issue applies) take a look at this press conference. You’ll get the basic message of this group by simply listening to the first panellist, but as the discussion goes on you get some insight into the interconnectedness of social and environmental justice issues from a technocentric worldview position. And of course a small insight into the complexity of the negotiations given some diverse stakeholder perspectives. The session is not itself anti-technology, it’s basically calling for a technology to be assessed against three criteria before any particular technology is deployed :-
There are a few issues and phrases that caught my attention in this session.
Every technology lobbying group is fighting to get it’s technology mentioned in the draft consolidated text, and of course that includes the ITU (https://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2009/55.html). As the text stands at the moment there are apparently 468 mentions of technology, 100 more than the number of times that mitigation is mentioned. In our technocentric society today, maybe that is not surprising.
The technology referred to in this session is mostly grand scale technologies like biofuels, carbon capture and storage (CCS), geo-engineering (planetary scale manipulation of the climate).
Whilst climate change is going to need many technologies (and policy and behavioural changes etc), Information and communication technology (ICT) is in competition with many other technologies. It is going to need to fight hard to get the attention of policy makers, investors and those ultimately making technology buying decisions. ICT will need investment and money if it is to deliver here. The ITU which represents many players in the industry is shouting and has been effective in getting some attention, but I am not at all sure the industry is putting its back into this. A fear of commitment maybe, a wait and see approach for some certainly. There are some significant players who are not engaged in this process (and I don’t just mean attending COP15). I think the importance of getting the mention in the text is probably overrated, but getting the voice heard is important.
From the assessment Gartner are running at the moment in partnership with WWF, the ICT industry itself is not taking any kind of comprehensive and holistic view on its overall impact on the environment and society . Yes, it has some rough and ready high level assessments of the direct emissions and abatement potential in Smart2020 and a couple of other places. Yes it has some marketing tools. But that’s as far as it goes at the moment. I don’t think it is just (or even primarily) down to the industry to do the assessment, but it certainly has some level of responsibility. There are many stakeholders, not least policymakers who need to understand some of the direct, indirect, systemic and rebound effects of deployment of ICT in the context of solutions of climate change. But there is little appetite to do so and even fewer frameworks or methods to do it.
However, despite this lack of focus on a more holistic assessment, I am sure that ICT can score very well on those three criteria above, certainly relative to some of the other technologies. The challenge and opportunity for the industry is to prove it and communicate it. And it is in this kind of context that constant referral to Smart2020 seems to fall short. The industry needs to keep up the lobbying, but move onto proof through delivery. measurement and demonstration, and show it represents great value on those 3 criteria relative to other technological choices.
Even if we look at something much more prosaic, one of the areas the industry needs to get much better at is recovering e-waste in the developing world. ICT will play an increasingly important role in achieving low carbon development in the developing world. If ICT wants to score well on “long term sustainability” and “social justice” it has to fix this.
I loved the phrase used in connection with some of the technologies “…fighting fire with gasoline…”. That paints a good picture of the potential challenge in using certain technology. At the moment the ICT industry has limited insight into the gasoline content of its solutions (though it probably has a lot more idea than we have for that of geo-engineering).
The final observation I was both amused by, and shocked by, was the observation by the chair of the panel that at the moment we seem to think it is easier to manage solar radiation than it is to persuade people to use more public transport. A sobering thought to end on.
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Category: Uncategorized Tags: COP15, Green IT, Sustainability, UN Climate Summit
by Simon Mingay | December 9, 2009 | Comments Off
If progress is to be made in terms of tackling climate change then it is important that organizations with the influence of Microsoft express their support and take commensurate action. That action needs to tackle their own operations of course, but additionally their supply chain, partnerships, and in Microsoft’s case most importantly focus on their products and services. And to Microsoft’s credit in the last 18 months they have moved a long way.
Microsoft’s carefully worded press release (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/dec09/12-06RobBernardCOP15.mspx) says little beyond “we are engaged and we can offer solutions”. Their policy statement (http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2009/12/02/contributing-to-the-un-climate-change-conference-in-copenhagen.aspx) goes a little further in stating “Microsoft believes climate change is a serious issue that demands immediate worldwide attention, and we are acting accordingly”.
Those looking for a full on support and commitment from Microsoft will be disappointed. It reflects where Microsoft is on their environmental journey and the diverse views and opinions of their many key stakeholders.
Although the tone of the press release and policy statement is self-promotional, I think that’s OK. IT and Microsoft does have an important role to play here, it does have an important contribution to make and it is important that policymakers understand that. And certainly Microsoft are no more guilty of that tone than the rest of the industry and its representative bodies.
However, if I see one more reference to the Smart2020 report I think I’ll scream. It’s a good report and very helpful, but it is time to move on and do some more detailed work. But the constant reference to that report by so many in the industry tells you more about where the industry is right now than it does about the significance of that very worthy report.
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by Simon Mingay | December 8, 2009 | 3 Comments
I’m going to be using this blog to comment on what’s happening at the Copenhagen Climate Summit (COP15) and how that relates to, and impacts, IT. Thereafter, it will be about the issues of climate change and environmental sustainability and how they impact the IT industry,
Copenhagen is an important opportunity for the IT industry to get it’s message over in terms of it’s role of being a potentially major contributor in the form of solutions for tackling climate change and a range of environmental sustainability challenges.
It is an opportunity to engage with a range of stakeholders that have in interest in climate change. Importantly of course that includes those who have some influence over, or comment on, national and international policy.
The industry has done a lot of talking about its role over the last 18 months, but is making only very slow progress in terms of deployment of solutions. The one main exception is Smart Grid which has had a big boost from the many and various government stimulus packages around the world. A couple of other areas that continue to move along at a steadier pace relate to travel substitution and smart buildings. But almost every other solution area is moving painfully slowly, causing some significant frustration and a lack of strategic commitment on the vendor side.
Until there is money on the table, from whatever source, progress and investment in these IT enabled solution areas will continue to be sluggish, despite their potential. And IT solution providers will continue to take a low risk, low investment approach, focusing on incremental innovation. Despite the big words most IT solution providers are taking a very conservative approach
So Copenhagen is important in so far as it can be used to help chivvy things along. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is actively engaged at Copenhagen and is pushing to have IT included in negotiation texts. And is supported in that attempt by other players like WWF (Worldwide Fund fro Nature).
For those of you interested in following what’s happening at Copenhagen that is most relevant to IT, take a look at the agenda for the “Presentation Space”
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_15/climate_change_kiosk/items/5202.php
and likewise the “Business Talks” being put together by the ITU
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_15/climate_change_kiosk/items/5202.php
Category: Uncategorized Tags: COP15, Green IT, Sustainability, UN Climate Summit
