The Leap Toward Tech Sustainability
As ESG deadlines approach and digital advancements accelerate, balancing tech evolution with environmental preservation becomes increasingly critical. The energy industry, undergoing extensive procedural and operational changes to achieve sustainability goals, faces hidden carbon costs from tech and big data usage.
Eric Zie, CEO of Earthshot Prize nominee GoCodeGreen, emphasizes the energy sector’s potential to lead in technological sustainability.
Digital advancements have surged over the past three decades, ushering in an era of relentless innovation. New technologies emerge regularly, ranging from artificial intelligence to smart urban developments to novel social media platforms.
Technological advancements have undeniably enhanced social, educational, health, and business spheres. In the energy sector, digital progress has notably refined the entire supply chain, including exploration, extraction, transport, delivery, and consumer technologies like smart meters. These innovations optimize operations and improve safety, yielding cost savings and increased efficiency. Thus, pursuing further innovation is essential.
Yet, this progress comes at a carbon cost, often overlooked. The ICT sector is projected to account for 4-6% of global greenhouse emissions and consume over 20% of the world’s energy by 2030. Comparatively, the carbon footprint of global data centers matches that of the aviation industry.
For the energy sector, tackling decarbonization is formidable, with shifts towards renewable energies like wind and solar, investments in hydrogen infrastructure, and technology to lessen existing process impacts. Despite these challenges, reducing emissions from data centers and tech is crucial, supported by targeted decarbonization tools, offering a significant opportunity to advance sustainability goals.
Instead of dwelling on the drawbacks of digital expansion, the focus is on finding solutions that balance technological progress with planetary protection.
The Energy Sector’s Role in Tech Decarbonization
Energy companies are already adapting their practices to meet imminent ESG benchmarks, making this a prime time to leverage changes and provide digital solutions without increasing their carbon footprint.
The journey for energy companies is arduous, yet every reduction counts. While digital optimization and clean technologies form a smaller part of the sector’s emission reduction strategies, even minor adjustments can produce measurable and impactful changes.
Solutions are available, like GoCodeGreen, the first product lifecycle-based measurement and decision platform. Nominated for the 2023 Earthshot Prize in the ‘Fix our Climate’ category, it offers tools that help businesses gauge and mitigate the carbon impact of their digital offerings, ensuring transparent decarbonization of their technology and IT operations.
Moreover, sustainable technology options are available that utilize renewable resources or enhance environmental efficiencies. Additionally, behavioral changes within organizations, such as reducing unnecessary downloads or excess emails, can significantly lower a company’s environmental footprint.
Now is the moment to seize the opportunity to create a faster, more efficient, and eco-friendly digital landscape within the energy sector. By collaborating, we have the opportunity and responsibility to reshape the future of the digital realm and our planet.
GoCodeGreen is a world leading, independent ClimateTech company focused on measuring and identifying actions to reduce the carbon and environmental impact of digital products and services. Its mission is to help decarbonize the digital world in which we all now live. Earthshot Prize-nominated and a Certified B Corporation, GoGodeGreen is also partnered with the ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for Information and Communication Technology.