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Enabling the 98% The role of Sustainable IT in the modern Computer Science syllabus

Enabling the 98% The role of Sustainable IT in the modern Computer Science syllabus. Dr Steve Cayzer University of The West of England University of Bath. Context. Sustainability is important!. Context. Is Sustainability important? Copenhagen UK Election

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Enabling the 98% The role of Sustainable IT in the modern Computer Science syllabus

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  1. Enabling the 98%The role of Sustainable IT in the modern Computer Science syllabus Dr Steve Cayzer University of The West of England University of Bath

  2. Context Sustainability is important!

  3. Context Is Sustainability important? • Copenhagen • UK Election • ‘Let’s get the economy fixed first’

  4. Context And yet … • Energy Gap • By 2020 we are likely to be importing around three quarters of our primary energy. • Transition towns • 300 and counting … • CRC energy efficiency scheme, EU ETS etc • Carbon Software & services • Predicted $5Bn market • Mckinsey’s key reason to go green • An interesting story

  5. What is sustainable IT? Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Brundtland 1987 (World Commission on Environment and Development) • Sustainable IT = sustainable development of IT products and services • But what does sustainable IT look like and how do we know if we are doing it?

  6. An interesting Statistic The global information and communications technology (ICT) industry accounts for approximately 2 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a figure equivalent to aviation, according to a new estimate by Gartner, Inc. Despite the overall environmental value of IT, Gartner believes this is unsustainable. (Gartner, 2007).

  7. The 2% and the 98% • What is the 2%? • IT = information technology • ICT = information & communications technology. • Programmable fridges? • Smart grid? • Games consoles? • Robots? • What is the 2%? • Cradle to Gate? • Cradle to Grave? • Cradle to Cradle? • What about the 98%? • What impact can ICT have on this? • Smart 2020: 7.8Gt of ICT-enabled carbon savings by 2020 = 15% of current global emissions.

  8. How to embed sustainable IT into a computer science syllabus • The 2% • Energy efficiency, least materials, waste reduction, recycling .. • Eco-design, Design for the Environment • Lifecycle assessment (LCA) • Exergy analysis • - > eco efficiency; eg dynamic smart cooling • The 98% • “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” : carbon dashboards • Visualisation technologies: “carbon quilt” • Social Dynamics: i-measure • -> Systemic Impact; eg smart city

  9. The debates … • Avoid climate science • Direct interested students to reputable sources/depts • Focus on a low carbon economy • likely and desired future • How to build a service or meet a need • Carbon Markets • regulation, taxes, carbon trading, offsets and other mechanisms • Graduates will be in a position to respond to and even influence these forces • Methodologies • dealing with context and uncertainty. • Carbon labels • Build links to other departments • Philosophy, climate, economics, management, politics, architecture …

  10. Sustainability is both a constraint and an opportunity for the ICT industry. • Constraints are physical, social and legal: • Energy gap, peak oil and water shortages • Energy Star, ROHS, EU-ETS, CRC • Greenpeace good electronics guide • Opportunities to create innovative products and services for the sustainability market. • travel replacement technologies (video conferencing, remote access and so on) • eServices • paper reduction • virtualisation. • Smart grid • Home energy use • Carbon Dashboards

  11. Perspectives on sustainable development : skills for the new economy • Constraints • Understand, Influence – new standards • Measure, Comply – existing standards • Design, Market – new eco-efficient products • Opportunities • Invent, Innovate – thinking out of the box • Design, Test – both technical and commercial • Market, Sell – with requirement for education • Partner – many technologies need coordinated action eg smart grid • Overall Theme: shift to services • Video from WWF and Ashridge business school http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP8Frk2VidQ

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