Cross-industry

Commentary:

Tackling climate change

7 December 2009

Chief environmental strategist at Microsoft Rob Bernard discusses the role of IT in reducing energy consumption and driving a better understanding of our impact on the planet.

World leaders are currently meeting in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009. It is hoped that, by the end of the conference, they can significantly advance the global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise the effects of climate change.

In order to advance this commitment, a growing number of governments and scientists have agreed to try and limit the global average temperature rise to less than two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. Information technology can help achieve this goal and its role and potential has been well documented. The question is, how can companies like Microsoft help address environmental challenges?

At Microsoft we are pursuing several paths that we hope will lead to a more sustainable future. Firstly we aim to promote the role of software as a tool in helping to improve energy efficiency. The primary focus of this is the energy efficiency of information technology itself. Windows 7 has the most effective energy conservation features ever seen in a Windows product. Virtualisation is also a useful technology in meeting this goal in that it provides the right level of capability while reducing energy and improving efficiency.

As a large international corporation, sustainability is embedded into every part of our business. We’re working to drive responsible and sustainable business practices across our entire company

Rob Bernard, Microsoft Microsoft is also working to drive significant gains in the number of transactions that can be performed for each unit of energy. For example, new datacentres in Dublin and Chicago are 50 per cent more efficient than their predecessors. In Dublin, the 5.4-megawatt datacentre needs no chillers for cooling and instead relies on careful placement of its servers and software control. This means outside air keeps the datacentre working without requiring traditional high-energy air conditioning systems.

Another important area where we are making significant investments is our telepresence technology. The use of Unified Communications technology to conduct virtual meetings has saved customers time, money and carbon. These are the types of changes that IT is singularly situated to enable.

New technical advances are perhaps most urgently needed in our power sources and infrastructure. In order to help the transition from an existing infrastructure to a new more energy efficient one, Microsoft is providing guidance on how IT can be leveraged to create a ‘smart energy ecosystem’. This would bring together new generating technologies (such as wind and solar) and better match supply and demand.

Microsoft is also focusing on accelerating breakthrough solutions to environmental challenges. This is not something we can do by ourselves, which is why we have partnered with leading scientists to help us better understand our planet and the impact we have on it.

In one such project, Microsoft Research shows how specific groups of trees interact with each other and the environment and whether and how tree species will need to migrate in a warming climate.

The value of driving mass awareness surrounding environmental health and the degradation of our water and air is another important focus for Microsoft. We have partnered with the European Environment Agency on an initiative called Eye On Earth. This gives European Union citizens the opportunity to access information on the quality of both beach and swimming water across 21,000 sites and the quality of air throughout the EU. There is also a built-in feedback mechanism that enables citizens to report water or air pollution in real time. This helps gives citizens a stake in environmental quality and makes governments more accountable.

As a large international corporation, sustainability is embedded into every part of our business. At Microsoft, we’re working to drive responsible and sustainable business practices across our entire company. We have set a goal to cut our carbon emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2012 compared to 2007 levels. To do this we will be using software and technology to improve energy use in our buildings and operations, reducing air travel, and increasing our use of renewable energy. We are already on the right track having cut more than 100 million miles of air travel last year and our innovative private bus system is helping cut 250,000 car miles each week.

It won’t be easy to reach these goals and make a significant impact on the world we live in. We face difficult challenges, but with a commitment to act and the right technology tools, a clean and prosperous future without the looming threat of climate change is well within our reach.

Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist at Microsoft

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