UK tackles 'cyber warming'

The government has announced plans to tackle “cyber warming” with the
introduction of a public-private “green shift” taskforce led by Manchester City
Council.

The PC industry accounts for 3% of global emissions (the same amount as the
aviation sector) through the production and use of computing equipment. The aim
of the taskforce is to drive the adoption of thin client technologies, which use
98% less energy than standard PCs and 75% fewer resources in production.

Thin client technology employs simple workstations that connect to a powerful
central computer, rather than having hundreds of powerful computers throughout
an entire organisation.

“Innovative proposals such as the green PC service are essential if we are to
tackle climate change,” said local government minister Phil Woolas. “Only if all
of our communities are engaged in action to tackle climate change will we

be successful.”

The benefits of saving vast amounts of energy have not been lost on major
technology companies, such as Google, Dell, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and
Intel, which plan to cut the amount of energy consumed through PCs by 90% by
2010, primarily by changing the way computers are manufactured, as well as
making them far more energy efficient during use.

The “green shift” taskforce aims to pilot the new service in 2008 before
rolling it out in 2009.

For more on how corporates can improve IT efficiency, click
here.