Summary
Denmark is often named as the world’s leading IT nation, and Denmark has a world class IT infrastructure. Denmark has good conditions for leading the way in relation to Green IT. Over 99 per cent of all Danes are able to establish broadband Internet access in their home. Denmark is among the countries in which IT is used the most, and Denmark is a well-established leader in environmental technology.
On the global level, IT stands for two per cent of total CO2 emissions.¹ At the same time, IT holds the key to being able to reduce the remaining 98 per cent of CO2 emissions. Denmark shares the responsibility for taking care of the environment in relation to our use and development of IT solutions.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Action Plan is to contribute to positioning Denmark on the forefront of Green IT, partly by bringing about a greener lifecycle for IT solutions – from development, production and use to disposal – and partly by strengthening research and the development of solutions applying IT to reduce our environmental footprint.
The Action Plan includes the following initiatives aimed at setting focus on greener IT solutions in the private and public sectors as well as among ordinary people.
Focus area 1: Greener IT use
- Initiative 1: Corporate IT use must become greener
In the future, environmental consideration will become an integrated aspect of the social responsibility of private companies to a far greater extent than is presently the case. Green IT can therefore counteract red figures on the bottom line. In order to support this development, a catalogue is being compiled that will consist of best practices and good advice about greener IT solutions for companies.
- Initiative 2: Green IT information campaign
Children and young people are frequent users of new technology and the consumers of the future. It is therefore important to ensure the spreading of knowledge about the significance of ’energy-correct’ technology and behaviour. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will launch an information campaign for children and young people about Green IT in order to set focus on Green IT use.
- Initiative 3: Guidelines for Green IT for public authorities
The Danish Electricity Saving Trust (Elsparefonden) assesses that DKK 4 million can be saved daily if the public sector adopts more resource-conscious electricity consumption.² In cooperation with the other ministries, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will develop guidelines to help the ministries to establish requirements for Green IT-solutions.
- Initiative 4: Knowledge base for energy- and CO2 calculation
An overview of calculators for energy consumption and CO2 emissions from the use of IT will be compiled, which will enable everyone – ordinary citizens, companies and authorities alike – to easily gain access to information about the extent of their IT-related energy consumption and thereby how much CO2 is produced as a result of IT use. The overview will be made available via the Internet.
IT is simultaneously part of the solution. The Action Plan includes the following initiatives, which are to contribute to strengthening the development and use of innovative IT solutions for the reduction of energy consumption.
Focus area 2: IT solutions for a sustainable future
- Initiative 5: Green IT research funding
There is a need for research projects promoting the development of energy-friendly IT solutions capable of helping solve problems with total CO2 emissions. In 2008, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has allocated DKK 36 million for research in Green IT, pervasive computing and eGovernment.
- Initiative 6: Export of Green IT know-how and technology
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is establishing an export campaign for expertise and technology related to Green IT. This initiative is being developed in collaboration with the IT sector and Danish innovation centres abroad. It will particularly focus on opportunities for the export of green technology to the new growth centres in Asia.
- Initiative 7: International conference on Green IT
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will place Green IT on the agenda. In the first half of 2009, an international conference on Green IT will therefore be arranged. The conference is aimed at contributing to the setting of the agenda and promoting the sharing of knowledge about relevant opinions and initiatives.
Green IT is very much a question of changing one’s own behaviour. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will take the lead and set greener IT solutions on the agenda in all aspects of the ministerial activities.
- Initiative 8: Green IT in The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Through a number of concrete measures, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will be a pioneering authority in Green IT. The initiative is to help the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation reduce its consumption of electricity by at least 10 per cent.
The work with the initiatives will point ahead to December 2009, when Denmark is to host the UN Climate Change Conference COP 15. The objective for the 2009 climate conference is to reach an ambitious and global climate agreement for the period after 2012. The climate conference offers an appropriate occasion to present a number of environmental measures within the IT area.
1 Gartner 2007: Gartner Symposium/Itxpo “Green IT – A New Industry Shockwave”, s. 2
2 http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-and-erhverv/kom-godt-i-gang/kampagne-2007?nm_ct=30
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This page forms part of the publication 'Action Plan for Green IT in Denmark' as chapter 1 of 5
Version 1.0. 03-06-2008
© National IT- and Telecom Agency 2008
