Towards a common accounting method

The ICT sector presents unique challenges and opportunities with regard to carbon accounting. Through its life cycle phases it consumes significant energy and generates between 2% to 4% of global GHG emissions. The very success of the sector and its pervasiveness in our daily lives is raising concern about its growing carbon footprint .

On the other hand the use of ICT has the potential to provide significant savings across the total economy in terms of energy efficiency and carbon mitigation. A recent study (SMART 2020) estimated that the carbon mitigation potential of ICT is some five times greater than the emissions it generates.

In this workshop we will share an overview of the work going on by international standardisation bodies e.g. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in seeking to establish standards for the measurement of the environmental impact of ICT as well as Industry initiatives e.g. Carbon Trust /GeSi (global e sustainability initiative) that are seeking to provide guidance on the carbon footprinting of ICT goods networks and services.

ICARB is interested in helping the Scottish Carbon Accounting Community to build capacity, in the field of ICT, and to develop the confidence to recommend together agreed, robust and credible accounting methods for Scotland.
 

Speakers

• Catalina Macgregor, Green ICT Liason officer to the OECD on “The carbon footprint of ICT”
• Kevin J Houston, Carbon Masters on “Methodologies for capturing the environmental impact of ICT”
• Andie Stephens, Carbon Trust on “Industry initiatives to measure the carbon footprint of ICT”
• John Monaghan, Cisco on “Borderless networks and energy management in buildings”

Agenda

2.00pm Introduction Keith Baker, ICARB, Glasgow Caledonian University
2.05pm to 2.25pm Speaker 1 Catalina Macgregor, ITU, JCA, Green ICT Liason officer to the OECD : “The carbon footprint of ICT”
2.25pm to 2.45pm Speaker 2 Kevin J Houston, Carbon Masters “Methodologies for capturing the environmental impact of ICT”
2.45pm to 3.05pm Speaker 3 Andie Stephens, Carbon Trust “Industry initiatives to measure the carbon footprint of ICT (CT/GESI /WRI WBSCD Initiative)”
3.05pm to 3.25pm Speaker 4 John Monaghan, Cisco “Borderless networks and energy management in buildings”
3.25 to 4.00pm Questions /Discussions
4.00pm Refreshments /networking