not only will people become more connected
but things will as wellÃan estimated 50 billion machine-to-machine connections in 2020. A benefit of machine-to-machine connections is that they can relay data about climate changes that make it possible to monitor our emissions.Recommended Actions for the IT Sector Analysis conducted by management consultants McKinsey & Company concludes the following:Â¥ The IT sectorÃs own footprint of 2% of global emissions could double by 2020 because of increased use of tablets
smartphones
apps
and services. To help
rather than worsen
the fight against climate change
the IT sector must manage its own growing impact and continue to reduce emissions from data centers
telecom networks
and the manufacture and use of its products.Â¥ IT has the unique ability to monitor and maximize energy efficiency both within and outside of its own industry sector to cut CO2 emissions by up to 5 times this amount. This represents a savings of 7.8 Gt of CO2 per year by 2020
which is greater than the 2010 annual emissions of either the United States or China.The SMART 2020 Report gives a picture of the IT industryÃs role in addressing global climate change and facilitating efficient and low-carbon development. The role of IT includes emission reduction and energy savings not only in the sector itself
but also by transforming how and where people work. The most obvious ways are by substituting digital formatsÃtelework
videoconferencing
e-paper
and mobile and e-commerceÃfor physical formats. Researchers estimate that replacing physical products/services with their digital equivalents would pro-vide 6% of the total benefits the IT sector can deliver. Greater benefits are achieved when IT is applied to other industries. Examples of those industries are smart building design and use
smart logistics
smart electricity grids
and smart industrial motor systems.Global Warming: A Hot Debate Does our society have the capacity to endure in such a way that the 9 billion people expected on the earth by 2050 will all be able to achieve a basic quality of life? The answer is uncertainÃand hotly debated. As you read
many scientists and experts are extremely alarmed by global warming and climate change
but other experts out-right deny that they are occurring.This debate may be resolved to some degree by NASA. A NASA spacecraft was designed to make precise measurements of CO2 in the earthÃs atmosphere. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) was launched in July 2014. The observatory is NASAÃs first satellite mission dedicated to studying CO2
a critical component of the earthÃs carbon cycle that is the most prevalent human-produced GHG driving changes in the earthÃs climate (Figure 14.7).OCO-2 is a new tool for understanding both the sources of CO2 emissions and the natural processes that remove CO2 from the atmosphere and how they are changing over time. The missionÃs data will help scientists reduce uncertainties in forecasts of how much CO2 is in the atmosphere and improve the accuracy of global climate change predictions.According to NASA
since the start of the Industrial Revolution more than 200 years ago
the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities have led to an unprecedented buildup in GHGs. Human activities have increased the level of CO2 by more than 25% in just the past half century.It is possible that we are living far beyond the earthÃs capacity to support human life. While sustainability is about the future of our society
for businesses
it is also about return on investment (ROI). Businesses need to respect environmental limits
but also need to show an ROI.Sustainability Through Climate Change Mitigation There are no easy or con-venient solutions to carbon emissions from the fossil fuels burned to power todayÃs tech depen-dencies. But there are pathways to solutions
and every IT user
enterprise
and nation plays a role
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