The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry produces roughly the same volume of carbon emissions as the aviation industry. Of Australia’s 576 million tones of annual carbon dioxide emissions, ICT accounts for 40 million tones, or 7%.
This is because the internet or cyberspace is not just a virtual place; it is constructed of digital information that needs to be processed, stored, visualised and shared. The amount of stored information doubles every four years, including things like photo albums, recipes, spreadsheets and books.
Data centres are a key physical manifestation of the internet. In 2005, the power consumed by computer data centres exceeded the demand of television sets in the USA.
For more information about the ICT sector and strategies for emissions reduction, contact Dr Bill Petreski, Principal Adviser – Technology Industry.