A forecast of the Cloud

IT ses ofta som en del av lösningen för att uppnå ett hållbart samhälle genom till exempel minskat resande, optimering av industri- och jordbruksprocesser, intelligenta elmätare och smarta hem. Något man sällan reflekterar över är att ITbranschen själv också bidrar till elanvändningen. Ett nytt fenomen inom IT-världen är molnet som ger möjlighet till som det verkar outtömliga resurser i form av lagrings- och beräkningskapacitet, konstant uppkoppling och snabb överföring. Det finns många definitioner av molnet men om man ser på det materiellt består det av datahallar i olika storlek samt fasta och trådlösa nätverk som drar el dygnet runt. Om användningen av molntjänster ökar – hur mycket kommer elanvändningen öka och med den också den globala uppvärmningen? I denna studie kommer molnet definieras, materialiseras och kvantifieras för att kunna bedöma dess elbehov idag och i framtiden. Lagar och regler för energieffektivisering kommer undersökas och framtida prognoser tas fram genom tillväxtmodeller. De huvudsakliga resultaten är: - Det finns inga lagar för hur energieffektiva datahallar måste vara, även om det görs en del inom området på frivillig basis och företag tar på sig egna miljömål. Europeiska unionen inkluderade vissa delar av servrar i ekodesigndirektivet år 2014 vilket visar på att problemet har börjat tas upp. - Användningen av molnet kommer öka explosionsartat i framtiden och det finns stor potential för energieffektivisering när det gäller lagring, bearbetning och överföring av data. Beroende på hur mycket som energieffektiviseras kan molnet komma att konsumera mellan 5 000 och 10 000 TWh år 2040. Detta kan jämföras med hela IT-branschen som 2010 drog mellan 700 och 1 000 TWh. Om man jämför molnet och traditionell IT är molnet oftast mer energieffektivt bland annat därför att resurser förbrukas efter behov och servrar utnyttjas optimalt. Det finns alltså ännu större potential för energieffektivisering om hela IT-sektorn inkluderas. - Om inte energieffektivisering sker alls kommer molnets energiförbrukning öka bortom greppbara magnituder. Det finns dock också studier som pekar på att den totala energikonsumtionen kan minska sett från idag, även om användningen av molnet ökar, då teknik med mycket bättre energiprestanda håller på att utvecklas. - Då dagens lagstiftning inte täcker in energieffektivisering ligger ett stort ansvar på företag att göra detta på frivillig basis, vilket till viss del motiveras av att de sparar pengar genom att energieffektivisera. Det är dock mycket viktigt att denna energiåtgång uppmärksammas och att den inte tillåts skena iväg i framtiden.Information and communication technology (ICT) is often seen as part of the solution for a sustainable society, for example through reduced travel, optimization of industrial and agricultural processes, smart meters and smart homes. However, something usually left unconsidered is the electricity consumption of ICT itself. A new phenomenon of the ICT industry is the Cloud that enables seemingly inexhaustible resources in terms of storage and computing capacity, constant connection and fast transfer. There are many definitions of cloud but if looked at from a material point of view it consists of data centers in different sizes as well as wired and wireless networks that consumes electricity. If usage of cloud services increase - how much will electricity consumption and with it global warming increase? In this study the cloud is defined, materialized and quantified in order to estimate its electricity demand today and in the future. Laws and regulations for energy efficiency will be examined and future forecasts are created with the use of growth models. The main results are: - There are no regulations of how energy efficient data centers must be, even though some companies set their own environmental goals and voluntary projects are carried out. The European Union included some parts of servers in the Ecodesign Directive in 2014, which shows that the problem has begun to be addressed. - The usage of the cloud will increase dramatically in the future and there is great potential to improve energy efficiency in terms of storage, processing and transmission of data. Depending on how energy efficient the cloud will be it can consume between 5 000 and 10 000 TWh in 2040. This can be compared to the entire ICT industry which consumed between 700 and 1 000 TWh in 2010. If the cloud is compared with traditional IT it is usually more energy efficient as resources are pooled and used when needed and servers are utilized optimally. Therefore there is even greater potential for improving energy efficiency if the entire ICT sector is included. - If there are no energy efficiency improvements at all the cloud’s energy consumption will increase beyond graspable magnitudes. However, there are also studies that indicate that the total energy consumption can decrease in the future, even though the use of the cloud increases, due to new efficient technologies currently under development. - As current regulations do not include energy efficiency of data centers, a huge responsibility is placed at companies to do this on a voluntary basis. The companies do however have a self-interest to improve energy efficiency as it saves them money - but is it enough? It is very important that this energy consumption is recognized and is not allowed to increase out of control in the future.Den ökande användningen av onlinetjänster medför att elkonsumtionen från datahallar och nätverk kommer skjuta i höjden om vi inte energieffektiviserar. Idag saknas det generellt lagar om hur effektiva datacenter måste vara. Ett enormt ansvar läggs på att företag själva är förutseende och satsar på energieffektiv teknik. Det finns dock stora möjligheter att spara energi, både för datahallar och nätverk - om viljan finns

Climate change and radical energy innovation: the policy issues

Although the impacts of greenhouse gas build-up remain uncertain, they have the potential to be very serious and possibly catastrophic. If the outcomes are serious then neither improving energy efficiency nor adaptation policies will cope with the problems of warming. Reducing climate impacts without impeding economic development will require new low or zero emissions energy carriers and associated technologies. This paper argues that current innovation policy initiatives aim at only limited dimensions of energy technology: they either promote incremental change in existing technologies, or improving performance in existing renewable alternatives. They will neither induce fundamental innovation in carrier technologies, nor change the basic technological regime of hydrocarbon production, distribution and use. For this, more radical „mission-oriented? programmes are necessary. In turn, these will require new policy instruments and methods, new roles for government, and new dimensions of international collaboration and global governance of innovation strategies.

Designing guidelines for responsible and environmentally sustainable ICT supplier selection : Increasing green ICT awareness in the case organization

ICT is seen as both a solution and a cause for environmental challenges. When ICT reduces emissions from other sectors, the sector's own emissions and carbon footprint will increase. A significant proportion of the sector's emissions come from ICT equipment, representing 47-54% of total greenhouse gases in the ICT sector. The responsibility of these emissions lies not only with the manufacturers of the equipment, but also with the organizations representing their large group of users. The identification of the adverse impacts of ICT has led to increased demands for organizations to act responsibly and in an environmentally sustainable manner, and to adopt green ICT levers. Efforts have been made to promote ICT's environmental sustainability through changes in sourcing and supplier selection criteria. It is estimated that by 2026, 70% of technology sourcing leaders will have performance objectives aligned to environmental sustainability and 75% of the organizations will increase business with ICT suppliers that provide sustainability targets and timelines. The study aims to design guidelines for responsible and environmentally sustainable ICT equipment supplier selection. The study is conducted for a case organization that represents an ICT support organization of a Finnish engineering company. The study problem arises from the case organization’s need to increase awareness of the adverse environmental impacts of ICT and understand their role in decreasing them. Two research questions have been set for the study: what are the aspects that should be considered in supplier selection to promote environmental sustainability and reduce the environmental burden associated with the sourced ICT equipment, and how does incorporating environmental sustainability in the supplier selection contribute to sustainability efforts in the case organization. The study is an action design research. To answer the research questions, the first step is to establish a theoretical basis for the topic, after which the empirical part of the study is carried out through workshops. A total of three workshops are held during the design development process, in which the researcher works together and collects input from the professionals from the case organization to design the guidelines to adopt greener supplier selection practices. As a result of the study, the case organization has guidelines to promote responsible and environmentally sustainable ICT equipment supplier selection. The guidelines support the case organization’s journey towards greener ICT operation, the implementation of an environmental perspective into sourcing processes, cooperation with environmentally responsible suppliers, the selection of environmentally friendly equipment, and adoption of circular economy principles. Further research is proposed to implement and test the guidelines and to continue the development of green ICT adoption in other areas of ICT.Tieto-ja viestintätekniikka (ICT) nähdään sekä ratkaisuna että ympäristöhaasteiden aiheuttajana. ICT:n vähentäessä muiden alojen päästöjä, alan omat päästöt ja hiilijalanjälki kasvavat. Merkittävä osa alan päästöistä on peräisin ICT-laitteista, joiden osuus on 47-54 prosenttia koko ICT-alan kasvihuonekaasujen kokonaismäärästä. Päästöt ovat paitsi laitteiden valmistajien vastuulla, myös niiden suurta käyttäjäjoukkoa edustavien organisaatioiden vastuulla. ICT:n haitallisten vaikutusten tunnistaminen on johtanut siihen, että organisaatioita vaaditaan entistä enemmän toimimaan vastuullisesti ja ympäristön kannalta kestävällä tavalla sekä omaksumaan keinoja vihreän ICT:n toteuttamiseksi. ICT:n ympäristökestävyyttä on pyritty edistämään hankinnan muutoksilla ja toimittajan valintakriteereiden avulla. On arvioitu, että vuoteen 2026 mennessä 70 prosentilla teknologiahankinnan johtajista on tulostavoitteet linjassa ympäristön kestävän kehityksen tavoitteiden kanssa ja 75 prosentilla organisaatioista on enemmän liiketoimintaa ICT-toimittajien kanssa, jotka pystyvät esittämään todistetusti kestävyystavoitteita ja aikatauluja. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on suunnitella suuntaviivat vastuulliselle ja ympäristön kannalta kestävälle ICT-laitteiden toimittajavalinnalle. Tutkimus tehdään kohdeorganisaatiolle, joka edustaa suomalaisen konepajayrityksen ICT-tukiorganisaatiota. Tutkimusongelma syntyy tapausorganisaation tarpeesta lisätä tietoisuutta ICT:n haitallisista ympäristövaikutuksista ja ymmärtää heidän roolinsa niiden vähentämisessä. Tutkimukselle on asetettu kaksi tutkimuskysymystä: mitkä ovat näkökohdat, jotka olisi otettava huomioon toimittajavalinnoissa ympäristökestävyyden edistämiseksi ja hankittujen ICT-laitteiden ympäristökuorman vähentämiseksi, ja miten ympäristökestävyyden sisällyttäminen toimittajavalintaan edistää kestävyyspyrkimyksiä tapausorganisaatiossa. Tutkimus on toiminnan suunnittelututkimus. Tutkimuskysymyksiin vastaamiseksi ensimmäinen vaihe on teoreettisen perustan luominen aiheelle, jonka jälkeen tutkimuksen empiirinen osa toteutetaan työpajojen kautta. Suunnitteluprosessin aikana järjestetään yhteensä kolme työpajaa, joissa tutkija yhdessä kohdeorganisaation ammattilaisten kanssa suunnittelee ja kehittää suuntaviivoja vihreämpään toimittajavalintaan. Tutkimuksen tuloksena kohdeorganisaatiolla on suuntaviivat vastuullisen ja ympäristön kannalta kestävän ICT-laitteiden toimittajavalinnan toteuttamiseksi. Suuntaviivat tukevat kohdeorganisaation siirtymää kohti vihreämpää ICT-toimintaa, ympäristönäkökulman sisällyttämistä hankintaprosesseihin, ohjaavat yhteistyöhön ympäristövastuullisesti toimivien toimittajien kanssa, ympäristöystävällisten laitteiden valintaa ja kiertotalouden periaatteiden omaksumista. Jatkotutkimukseksi ehdotetaan suuntaviivojen implementointia ja testausta, sekä green ICT:n omaksumista muilla ICT:n osa-alueilla

The impact of Fintech on corporate carbon emissions: towards green and sustainable development

Fintech, as the fusion of finance and technology, has not only transformed the traditional financial industry and contributed to reshaping the real economy. But also, it holds the potential to offer a feasible solution for achieving green and sustainable development. This paper investigates the impact of Fintech on corporate carbon emissions (CCEs) by using data from the National Tax Survey Database (NTSD). The results suggest that Fintech development leads to a reduction in CCEs. Our findings remain robust even after using the instrumental variable approach to alleviate endogeneity problems. The mechanism analysis reveals that Fintech reduces CCEs via alleviating financing constraints, improving energy efficiency, and promoting green innovation. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that Fintech dramatically decreases CCEs from coal energy consumption, while increasing CCEs from consuming power and gas energy. Additionally, carbon emissions from state-owned and foreign companies experience a more pronounced reduction through Fintech compared to those from private firms. Furthermore, firms in eastern and middle regions are more vulnerable to Fintech development. Moreover, enterprises in non-high-tech industries and high-polluting industries exhibit noteworthy performance in reducing carbon emissions through Fintech adoption. This research offers policymakers a path to effectively govern CCEs and achieve their carbon reduction targets

The impact of intelligent cyber-physical systems on the decarbonization of energy

Assessing the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, so-called intelligent cyber-physical systems, on emission reduction in the critical sector of energy provision.</p

Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) as a driver for the adoption of cloud computing

This research paper explores the current and future role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a critical factor in the decision-making process for adopting cloud computing. Initially highlighting the issue of and abatement policies relating to global warming and specifically the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) created by human activity, such as electricity generation, the paper identifies the Information and communications (ICT) technology sector as both a major contributor to CO2 emissions as well as a considerable enabler to future abatement. The popularisation of cloud computing as a model for ICT consumption is discussed and the paper examines, challenges and hones cloud computing’s ability to reduce GHG emissions by comparing energy efficiency, infrastructure utilisation and ‘clean’ energy consumption between on premise and cloud data centres. Current cloud computing adoption drivers are researched and discussed to identify if CSR is prevalent. Using data drawn from ten credible secondary data surveys including the views of 5,888 ICT executives it is concluded that CSR is not yet a key driver despite cloud computing’s substantiated ability to reduce emissions over on premise computing. This negative outcome is challenged via a series of primary data convenience interviews and survey conducted with 71 ICT executives to examine if CSR drivers are being masked behind the current predominant key driver of cost reduction. The idea is proven unfounded with CSR ranking as the least important driver despite the salient points of global warming, cloud computing’s green credentials and specific related government policies being discussed during the sampling process. As such the research concludes that as the time between now and the identified ecological tipping point of 2050 shortens, CSR is well positioned to emerge as a key driver but only if the link between cloud computing’s ability to reduce emissions and global warming / the tightening of government emission policy is made at both the individual and company level

Integrating artificial intelligence with expert knowledge in global environmental assessments: opportunities, challenges and the way ahead

With new cycles of global environmental assessments (GEAs) recently starting, including GEO-7 and IPCC AR7, there is increasing need for artificial intelligence (AI) to support in synthesising the rapidly growing body of evidence for authors and users of these assessments. In this article, we explore recent advances in AI and connect them to the different stages of GEAs showing how some processes can be automatised and streamlined. The meticulous and labour-intensive nature of GEAs serves as both a valuable strength and a challenge to staying pertinent and current in today’s era of urgency and the pursuit of the latest knowledge. Utilising AI tools for reviewing and synthesizing scientific literature holds the evident promise of substantially lessening the workload for experts and expediting the assessment process. This, in turn, could lead to more frequent report releases and a smoother integration of the latest scientific advancements into actionable measures. However, successful outcomes can only be achieved if domain experts co-develop and oversee the deployment of such tools together with AI researchers. Otherwise, these tools run the risk of producing inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information with significant consequences. We demonstrate this through a few examples that compare recently deployed large language models (LLMs) based tools in their performance in capturing nuanced concepts in the context of the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We recommend establishing ethical committees and organising dedicated expert meetings to develop best practice guidelines, ensuring responsible and transparent integration of AI into GEAs

Enhancement of Industrial Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Industrial energy efficiency has been recognized as a major contributor, in the broader set of industrial resources, to improved sustainability and circular economy. Nevertheless, the uptake of energy efficiency measures and practices is still quite low, due to the existence of several barriers. Research has broadly discussed them, together with their drivers. More recently, many researchers have highlighted the existence of several benefits, beyond mere energy savings, stemming from the adoption of such measures, for several stakeholders involved in the value chain of energy efficiency solutions. Nevertheless, a deep understanding of the relationships between the use of the energy resource and other resources in industry, together with the most important factors for the uptake of such measures—also in light of the implications on the industrial operations—is still lacking. However, such understanding could further stimulate the adoption of solutions for improved industrial energy efficiency and sustainability