Sustainable Development: The Role of Information and Communication Technology

Transcription

1 Sustainable Development: The Role of Information and Communication Technology Alexander Schatten Oct. 2008

2 Agenda Information & Communication Technology Environmental Footprint ICT supporting Mitigation Adaptation ICT for Teaching and Public Awareness 2

3 ICT Environmental Footprint Green IT Resource Efficiency: A Factor of 10 Desktop Computing Data-Centers and Services Software as a Service Cloud Computing Accounting Photo from ezioman (flickr) 3

4 The rapid uptake of computers, mobile phones and the Internet in the emerging world is set to double the industry's CO2 emissions by 2020, according to the first comprehensive study on the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the world's climate. Euractiv.com, Study on Carbon Footprint of ICT sector Photo by Greenpeace 4

5 To help, rather than hinder, the fight against climate change, the ICT sector must manage its own growing impact and continue to reduce emissions from data centres, telecommunications networks and the manufacture and use of its products Smart 2020 Report 5

6 Green IT Numbers $ 8-9 billion Estimated energy bills of datacenters worldwide 25% Typical IT budget for average company ~ $ Annual expenses for powering and cooling single server (2500 $) 2 1/2 years Average time a typical company has to upgrade power and cooling facilities 70-80% Utilisation of mainframes (70s, 80s) ~ 30% Of Servers run under 3% peak and average utilisation; actually are using power and cooling for doing no work 50% Average energy consumption for cooling 76 MtCO 2 e Global datacenter footprint MtCO 2 e Global datacenter footprint 2020 (estimated) 18 Million Server Million Server 2020 (estimated) Source: McKinsey and Company, part of a report titled "Revolutionizing Data Center Efficiency, InfoWorld, Ted Samson (2008) Smart2020 Report

7 The Power of 10 : Game Consoles > 200 W Playstation 3 Xbox 360 ~ 50 W Playstation 2 ~ 20 W Nintendo Wii 8

8 The Power of 10 : PCs PC with CRT ~ W ~ W PC with LCD ~ 50 W Thin Client with LCD ~ W Notebook ~2W 9 OLPC / XO Photos from Flickr: Gene, Plutor, John Pastor, One Laptop per Child...

9 Target/Demand-oriented Performance! 10

10 Data-Centers and Services Hummer Strategy or Virtualisation, Cloud Computing and Software as Service? 11 Photo from Paul Keleher, Flickr

11 Green IT : Virtualisation and In-House Services Datacenter In-House Replace Volume Servers with varying utilisation or low utilisation with virtual machines running in one power-server Remove Fat-Clients where not absolutely necessary and replace them with thin-clients and web-applications or thin-clients using remote desktops Provide support for tele-working (virtual private networks ) Get consulting for green operation of data-center including issues like: Optimizing Facilities Highest possible operation temperature Reuse of heat (e.g. for building/office heating) Better: get rid of all services that can be outsourced (see following slides) 12

12 What is Cloud Computing? You get energy from a grid, not from your own power-plant Cloud computing is the IT equivalent of the energy grid Rent services and computing power as needed Use Cloud Computing to scale as needed Typical Cloud Services range from Operation of Virtual Servers (e.g. Amazon EC2) Network storage solutions (e.g. Amazon S3) Database Services (e.g. Amazon SimpleDB) Application Runtime Environments (e.g. Google AppEngine) Middleware Services (e.g. Amazon Message Queue) E-Commerce Applications (e.g. Payment Services) Various Services (e.g. Google Maps, Google Calendar, Office Applications ) 13

13 Why is Cloud Computing better? You pay what you use, not a theoretical peak load You do not need to operate complex IT infrastructure which is most likely not your core business Operation of large scale data-centers is way more efficient than small scale installations Load can be balanced over many customers, hence servers in large datacenters can work at higher average utilisation Data-centers can be build in regions where less cooling is needed and more renewable energy sources are available 14

14 Cloud Computing Architecture Web/Mobile - Client... Fat-Client Service Consumer Cloud Application 1 or Service z.b. SaaS oder Webservice App 2 App 3 App 4... Cloud Platform (AppServer,Python...) Cloud Storage (z.b. S3, SimpleDB) Cloud Services (z.b. Queue Service,...) Cloud Infrastructure (z.b. Hardware, Network...)

15 Software as a Service Buzzword in the 90s; did not take off then Now a series of good applications are available, new services every day Business Applications like Salesforce CRM Groupware Communication Tools Webmail Chat-Applications Forum Wiki Office Applications Google Docs, Calendar, Sites Zoho (Office, Database, Programming Environment) 16

16 Example: CRM Salesforce 17

17 Current Issues with Cloud Computing No standardisation so far, hence vendor lock-in with currently leading services from companies like Google or Amazon However first Open Source products appear like Eucalyptus Whole SAAS, CC rather young, i.e., not very much experience available Legal and privacy issues, particularly due to the fact that most providers are located in US opportunity for European companies!) Automated Scaling can backfire (DOS, bugs ) 18

18 Company IT-Policy Some Questions Are there Guidelines for Operation and Office Support (e.g., about printing, using PC ) Is Tele-working an integral part of the workflow? How is accounting done? Power Management Software installed (for all PCs?) Connection between server-cooling and office-heating system? Assessment of server utilisation done? Virtualisation strategy within company? Virtualisation strategy outside company? Software as a service? Photo by threedots (flickr)

19 Agenda Information & Communication Technology Environmental Footprint ICT supporting Mitigation Adaptation ICT for Teaching and Public Awareness 20

20 IT as a Supporter for Mitigation efforts Green Supply Chains and E-Government Think Global! Smart Production De-Materialisation Smart Building If airplanes were build like buildings, you wouldn't fly in them, Stephen Selkowitz, LBNL Smart Grids Although the ICT sector s own emissions will rise as global demand for products and services increases, these are estimated to be five times less than the emissions that can be reduced through the enabling effect., Smart 2020 Report 21

21 Possible Contributions in Different Fields (Smart 2020 Report) Taken from Smart 2020 Report

22 Green Supply Chains: Example Indonesia The World Bank: A number of environmental problems are threatening the country's environmental sustainability, foremost among them being a rapid and generally unsustainable rate of natural resource exploitation. Areas of particular concern include forests and fisheries. One problem is the lack of transparency in the processes controlling access to such resources. Other problems include weak natural resource governance, poor institutional coordination, limited monitoring of natural resources and environmental quality parameters. [...] limited coordination among ministries and agencies at national and local levels Furthermore, the recent decentralization process has created additional challenges for environment and natural resource managers

23 Example Indonesia: The Economist (2006) Indonesia is losing almost 2m hectares of forest a year (an area about the size of Wales or Massachusetts) Illegal logging also carries big costs for the human beings involved. Wellmanaged forests continue to provide wood, and therefore revenue, indefinitely. But those that have been overexploited, or simply carelessly run let alone razed will yield little or no money in the future. The government of Indonesia (which has the world's third-biggest tropical forests, after Brazil and Congo, but the biggest timber trade) estimated its annual losses at around $3 billion. [due to illegal logging]

24 The Flat World Thomas Friedman, The world is flat We move(d) from Command and Control to Collaborate and Connect Economy/Society 3 Billion people reach for the western lifestyle It is impossible to fulfil this demand with the current approach Economy, knowledge, work-force, natural-resources are global issues

25 In a flat world and a connected economy there are hardly local problems Any significant problem in a country like Indonesia, India, China is immediately a global problem.

26 Green Global Supply Chains Measure and Connect is foundation for optimisation Technologies like RFID Event-based Systems Data-warehouses Tag and Track items through whole supply chain Work with (near) real-time data Standardisation (usage of standardised protocols and practices) Integrate with e-government applications to enhance transparency and better resource and waste management Check whether suppliers from second and third world countries follow policies Global optimisation of supply chains (from supplier to production lines to transportation to customer) 27

27 New Environmental Policies We will not knowingly finance companies or projects that collude with or are knowingly engaged in illegal logging. As part of our due diligence where we are in a position to direct or influence such process, we will examine whether clients that process, purchase, or trade wood products from high risk countries (and we will encourage such clients to) have certifiable systems in place to ensure that the wood they process, purchase or trade comes from legal sources Goldman Sachs Investment Bank Environmental Policy Framework 28

28 Industrial Production Industrial Production is one of the largest contributors to global emissions (Smart 2020 report): approx 23% total emission in 2002 Uses nearly 50% of global electrical power Modernise development of production lines; software development, simulation, data exchange is outdated compared to business information systems End-to-end monitoring of production lines ICT systems allow transparency and accountability Optimisations in motor systems Integration into global supply-chain optimisation 29 Picture from ralphbijker (flickr)

29 Dematerialisation Replace paper-based business with electronic business Online Media Reduce business travel Tele-Working E-Commerce E-Government Taken from Smart 2020 Report

30 ICT Supporting Adaptation Sensor Networks Connected Information of global information systems Support in case of catastrophes like robust dependable networks communication technology Visualisation Geographical information systems Simulation and modeling adapted to certain regions e.g. Tourism prediction in Austria Water level rise Development of agriculture 31

31 Agenda Information & Communication Technology Environmental Footprint ICT supporting Mitigation Adaptation ICT for Teaching and Public Awareness 32

32 Teaching and Public Awareness Climate change, many environmental problems, resource depletion are Global issues Highly connected systems Depending on many parameters and hence Very difficult to understand Tools are needed to enhance the public awareness and the systemic nature of such problems, particularly for Teaching purpose Public awareness As political instrument IT can provide experience in modeling, visualisation, game development to provide such tools 33

33 Video-Game: Makes you Think 34 Taken from

34 Video-Game: Makes you Think 35 Taken from

35 Game: Operation Climate Control 36 Taken from

36 Game: Operation Climate Control 37 Taken from

37 Conclusion Despite of environmental impact of ICT, clever ICT strategies can help to reduce much more emissions than it will produce ICT Footprint: direct front-lines Efficient IT (Green IT) Target/Demand oriented IT (Cloud Computing, SAAS,...) Dematerialisation effects IT as enabler for efficiency measurements in other fields Measure and Connect Green Supply Chains : Global Optimisations, E- Government Certified Processes Smart Houses, Grid Optimisations, Production Automation,... ICT supporting Adaptation (sensor networks, environmental monitoring, modelling...) ICT for public awareness, teaching, politics,...

38 Dr. Alexander Schatten Vienna University of Technology Institute for Software Technology and Interactive Systems 39