Green IT is not just about the use of greener IT solutions. The intelligent use of IT can also contribute to a reduction of energy consumption and solving the climate challenge.
Denmark must continue to be part of the international elite in environmental technology. The intelligent use of IT can contribute to reaching this objective, and the increased export of Green IT technology from Denmark can contribute to solving the challenges.
A number of initiatives are therefore being launched that will build on and reinforce the positive effects of IT use.
Research is a pivotal focus area which must ensure that Denmark maintains and expands its strong position regarding Green IT. In 2008, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Technology and Innovation has allocated resources for research in Green IT. The resources are put to use as part of the funding for research in information- and communication technology under the auspices of The Strategic Research Council. The total funding in 2008 is DKK 36 million for Green IT, pervasive computing and eGovernment.19
The research funding is to promote research in how the development of IT can contribute to a greener society and is to be used, inter alia, to promote innovation in the area. The funding can be used to intensify the focus on Green IT and digital services. For example, the focus can be on research in alternative hardware and software technology.
For example, the funding can be used for research projects focusing on energy conservation and environmental sustainability in the development and use of IT in the private sector and society in general.
The funding can also be used to promote research capable of contributing to global energy conservation. In this connection, the emphasis can be on intelligent IT solutions that can contribute to reducing the energy consumption in other sectors.
The focus can also be on research in alternative hardware and software technology that can promote telework, virtual meetings, intelligent power- and light regulation, etc. It is also important to illuminate how economic growth is created and maintained without increasing energy consumption; and how incentives for energy-efficient technological behaviour can be created.
Did you know…
that a study from the British National Energy Foundation has indicated that at least 1.7 million British PCs are often not turned off at night or over the weekend. This results in the emission of 700,000 tons of CO2. Merely turning off the roughly 2 million PCs owned by the British government when not in use would save 140,000 tons CO2.20
Denmark is one of the leading countries when it comes to green technology – a status that obligates. Denmark ought to continue to take the lead and ensure innovation – also within the field of Green IT.
There are some countries in which IT-related development is proceeding quickly but where environmental consideration is not sufficiently integrated in IT use. Effort must therefore be made to export Danish Green IT know-how and technology.
Denmark will also be able to share know-how with other countries and gain from the experiences of other countries. Such expertise sharing will proceed via various international forums in which Denmark is represented, but also more targeted in specific countries, such as China and India.
Did you know…
that in 2010 there will be 716 million new computers in use? In China there will be 178 million new computer users, while there will be 80 million new users in India.21
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will launch an export and expertise campaign. The initial objective is a campaign in China, where there is a considerable potential market for Danish Green IT technology. In this connection, the Danish research and innovation centre in Shanghai will be included in the planning.
The export and expertise campaign in China is to be part of the China strategy being pursued by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, where one of the objectives is to facilitate the access of Danish universities, companies and institutions to create knowledge and innovation in cooperation with Chinese partners.22
The aim of the China strategy pursued by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is to facilitate joint ventures between Denmark and China in relation to research, universities and innovation.
The general vision is that Denmark and China can develop a close partnership in the area of expertise in the years to come.
The foundation is thus created for generating value in the Danish and Chinese societies via an exchange of expertise, technology and specialized labour. At the same time, the bilateral cooperation contributes to increased network formation and cultural understanding that will be to the benefit of both Denmark and China in a global context marked by mutual dependence.
The export campaign will be carried out in close cooperation with the IT trade organizations.
Did you know…
that energy technology is one of the most rapidly growing Danish export sectors? This export group is expected to grow seven per cent annually from the current DKK 40 billion.
In November-December 2009, Denmark will 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.
Leading up to the climate conference, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will place Green IT on the agenda by arranging an international conference on Green IT in the first half of 2009.
The conference on Green IT is to contribute to placing Green IT on the global agenda, both as regards integrating environmental consideration in IT use as well as using IT towards the solution of the global climate challenge.
Did you know…
that there are more than 1 billion computers around the world?23
The agenda for the Green IT conference will be to set focus on all of the aspects of Green IT – research, production, usage and the disposal of IT.
With the participation of international experts, business people and decision makers, hosting the conference is to set the stage for international efforts to reduce the two per cent of the total CO2 emissions via:
At the same time there must be a focus on how IT can be used to reduce the remaining 98 per cent of global CO2 emissions by
The international Green IT conference is to function as a growth laboratory in which new ideas can be promoted and where expertise and experience can be exchanged between countries.
Finally, hosting the conference will provide Denmark with the opportunity to demonstrate Danish Green IT initiatives for the benefit of the relevant international partners.
As a prelude to the Green IT conference in 2009, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will host an international OECD workshop on Green IT in the spring of 2008.
19 http://fi.dk/portal/pls/pr05/docs/1/3444004.PDF
20 High Tech, Low Carbon, p. 31, http://www.intellectuk.org/content/view/3799
21 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/the-e-waste-problem
22 http://videnskabsministeriet.dk/site/forside/publikationer/2008/strategi-for-vidensamarbejde-mellem-danmark-og-kina/index.htm
23 Global Action Plan 2007: An inefficient Truth, p. 3
This page forms part of the publication 'Action Plan for Green IT in Denmark' as chapter 4 of 5
Version 1.0. 03-06-2008
© National IT- and Telecom Agency 2008