The whole of Australia must rally behind the local IT industry in its attempt to transition to a low carbon economy, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has said.
While announcing its Sustainable Futures Forum which will run in October, the AIIA called on businesses, consumers and the government to help reduce carbon emissions.
Speaking at the launch, AIIA’s CEO Ian Birks said: “Information and communications technologies have the power to change the course of the world’s carbon footprint.”
High-speed broadband and teleconferencing are some technologies that can facilitate change, Birks said, but “technology alone cannot reduce Australia’s carbon footprint”.
Bob Hayward, director of Risk Advisory Services at professional services firm KMPG, was also present at the launch.
According to Hayward, responsibility for ICT carbon emissions lies in the hands of both vendors and ICT professionals.
“The ICT industry needs to continue to make fundamental changes to processes such as the design of products, sourcing of materials and the transportation and distribution of goods in order to reduce the ICT industry carbon footprint,” Hayward said.
ICT professionals, on the other hand, “need to revise their procurement policies to consider the environmental credentials of their IT suppliers and the life-cycle environmental footprint of products and services they consume”.
AIIA’s Sustainable Futures Forum will be held on October 7 at the Sofitel Melbourne. The forum will address the impact of emissions trading on the ICT industry.
For more information on the forum, visit www.aiiaconference.com.au.
