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CIO Strategy Council launches Sustainable IT Pledge




CIO Strategy Council launches Sustainable IT Pledge

The use of Internet and IT technology already creates more greenhouse gases than the aviation industry, and is responsible for eight percent of emissions by 2025, according to a 2019 report by France-based carbon transition think tank The Shift Project.

For the first time in North America, a group of Canada's largest public and private sector organizations, including Accenture, ATCO, Bell, Canadian Blood Services, Micro Focus, Microsoft Canada and Oracle, have decided to reduce the environmental impact of their IT operations. made a commitment to . Is. By signing the Sustainable IT Pledge.

Pledge signatories are all members of the CIO Strategy Council, a non-profit that brings together leading Canadian businesses and public sector organizations to act on the challenges posed by the digital economy. It is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and develops standards that support a data-driven economy.

"Some of us are aware of the carbon emissions caused by the data centers and networks running on our smartphones and laptops," said Katie Gibson, vice president of strategy and partnerships at the CIO Strategy Council. "But due to the widespread use of remote working, streaming services and data-hungry artificial intelligence, energy demand from digital technologies is growing six times faster than the rest of the economy," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported. Last week. Clearly, the climate crisis is 'code-red for humanity'. The time to act on emissions is fast running out, and Canada's major public and private sector organizations are stepping up to the plate.

Jim Love, IT World Canada's chief information officer and chief content officer, said, "We all have to take accountability not only for our personal but also our corporate carbon footprint. We can't pass it off as someone else's responsibility or can. Don't wait for someone else to solve it. It's easy to say "the buck stops here." Maybe we really need to say "solution starts here". This is true accountability. I am proud to stand on the CIO Strategy Council along with other CIOs who are stepping up to be part of the solution."

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To resolve the issues, the signatories have pledged:

Take steps to remove emissions from your IT operations, for example: Optimizing your systems to reduce data processing volume; Use cloud-based services where possible; and extending the service life of equipment by refurbishing existing assets rather than purchasing replacements.
Set strong emissions targets for your IT operations and publicly disclose progress against them.
Set stringent sustainability standards for suppliers, supporting Canada's cleantech industry.
Promote adoption of sustainable IT practices and consider areas where national standards for sustainable IT can help.
These commitments will also enhance existing promises of many signatories to become carbon-neutral.

"We are proud to add Microsoft Canada to the CIO Strategy Council's Sustainable IT Pledge," said John Weigelt, Microsoft Canada's National Technology Officer. “Last year, Microsoft committed to be carbon negative from all environments, by 2030 and by 2050. The company was founded in 1975 to remove carbon. We continue to work towards this goal and our Strive to help customers achieve their own sustainability goals with us."

Neil Correa, cyber strategist at Micro Focus, another signatory, said, “The importance of taking action to protect the environment has never been greater, which is why Micro Focus is proud to sign the Sustainable IT Pledge with its peers. We are committed to reducing this. Our impact on the environment and helping our customers and partners to address their carbon footprint and adopt carbon-friendly IT strategies. Through this pledge, the work of the CIO Strategy Council and our collective Efforts can play a part in helping us achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

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