Book Image

Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders

By : Niklas Sundberg
Book Image

Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders

By: Niklas Sundberg

Overview of this book

We are at a critical point in human history. Humanity is under threat, but all is not lost. We can take action! But how? Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders will show you how. It will walk you through the construction and implementation of a sustainable IT strategy and enable you to do your bit for the future of mankind. The book is split into three parts. Part I details the “why” and the clear and present danger that humanity faces today: the climate crisis. How did we get here, what are the immediate threats, what are the planetary boundaries that we need to peel back to safe levels, and what impact does IT have on society at large? Part II will focus on the "what.” It examines the nitty-gritty details of what we can do to unlock significant returns on sustainable investments toward a more sustainable future. Part III, the final part of the book, focuses on the “how.” How do you turn your ideas into action? What do you need to do to establish your baseline and your direction of travel towards your objective? This part provides tangible case studies and explains how you can start your journey today to begin delivering global and impactful objectives. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to plan, implement, and communicate a sustainable IT strategy and set yourself apart as a progressive technology leader.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Part 1: Why Is Sustainable IT Important?
4
Part 2: What Are Sustainable IT Practices?
12
Part 3: How Do You Accelerate Sustainable IT?

Transitioning to a low-carbon future

There are two essential aspects to consider when we refer to a low-carbon future: energy security and energy efficiency. The first factor, energy security, has been around for decades, but what does it mean? The European Commission and the International Energy Agency (IEA) define it as providing reasonably priced, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy (Müller-Kraenner 2007). Although it is a straightforward definition, can you fulfill all three variables to achieve energy security? What price are we willing to pay for energy that is also environmentally friendly? Are you able to get access to reliable energy that is environmentally friendly? The second factor is energy efficiency, where we need to ensure that we do more with less by reducing our energy demand. For every watt of energy that we produce, we need to ensure that we can stretch it further. The greenest and cheapest energy is the energy we do not use.

As Greenpeace highlights...