IT CAN BRING DOWN TEMPERATURES

IT is not only about monitoring and funneling information to the masses - it has the capacity to cap temperature change at 2 degrees, according to a report by The Climate Group.

The report found und that by 2020, deployment of existing IT applications that ranging from virtual meetings to energy management tools for buildings and homes could slash global carbon emissions 15 percent, eliminating more carbon emissions annually than are currently released by all sources in the United States.

Software isn't just the brains inside a computer hardware it's a tool that can make big strides in improving energy efficiency.

New software is being designed to address the energy efficiency of information technology itself. Technologies such as virtualization are able to get more "right-size" servers and provide the right level of capability while reducing energy and improving efficiency.

By significantly improving energy efficiency and drive significant gains in the number of transactions that can be performed for each unit of energy new datacenters are now50 percent more efficient than their predecessors. A 5.4-megawatt datacenter today needs no chillers for cooling. Instead it relies on careful placement of its servers and software control so that outside air alone keeps the datacenter working without requiring high-energy traditional air conditioning systems. This enables significant energy savings over traditional cooler-intensive datacenters.

Other areas of cool tech include telepresence products, which save time, money, and carbon through the use of Unified Communications technology. This enables virtual meetings to be conducted with high quality, over great distances, and at very low costs.

IT keep on getting but these same technical advances are needed for power sources and infrastructure. In order to help the transition of existing infrastructure and establish a modern energy infrastructure new IT systems provide guidance on how society should leverage IT to create smart energy ecosystems that knit together modern generating technologies (such as wind and solar) and better matches supply and demand.

The innovative IT industry is taking up the focusing on accelerating breakthrough solutions to environmental challenges. These breakthroughs will require collaboration amongst the private sector, government and non-government organizations. To this end, the big two IT companies - Microsoft and Macintosh- are partnering with leading scientists and academia to leverage technologies that help us better understand our planet and the impact we have on it.

In one project, Microsoft Research showed 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; this is just one example of the types of issues we need to more fully understand as society thinks about adaptation and mitigation strategies. In his paper "Predictive Models of Forest Dynamics," Microsoft Research scientist Drew Purves, along with Princeton's Stephen Pacala, explore dynamic vegetation models that simulate the reaction of forests to past, present and future climate. Their research shows that a new generation of realistic forest modeling, now within reach, could greatly improve our understanding of how forests work, how tree species respond to deforestation, and how forests impact climate regulation and environmental change.

The value of driving mass awareness to the environmental health and the degradation happening to our water and air is an important focus for our company.

Microsoft partnered with the European Environment Agency (EEA) on an initiative called Eye On Earth. Eye On Earth gives all 500 million 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. If a family member has a health issue related to air quality, thee is now a way to see the quality of air where a person lives or where he or she might be traveling. In this project, Microsoft has added a feedback mechanism built into the system, which enables citizens to report water or air pollution in real time. That helps give citizens a stake in environmental quality - and makes governments more accountable.

Microsoft has set a goal to cut our carbon emissions - for each dollar earned by the company - by at least 30 percent by 2012, compared to 2007 levels. To achieve this goal software and technology will be used to improve energy use in buildings and operations, reduce air travel, and increase the use of renewable energy.

It won't be easy putting together the pieces needed to create global sustainability, and governments will need to adequately fund basic science research and research into renewable and sustainable low-carbon energy sources. And regulators who oversee energy generation and distribution need to promote real-time pricing policies that open the market for demand-side management.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced that the US would contribute to the $100 billion per year needed by 2020 to help developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

The Climate Group and US business leaders gave their immediate support this commitment.

Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group says: "Hillary Clinton's $100bn commitment is not about giving away tax-payer money, but about securing an effective global deal. It will lock in both the developed and developing world and give certainty and confidence to the international market and to US businesses that climate policy is coming.

"The businesses we work with in the US and elsewhere want clear signals from government leaders so they can scale up investments and create the green jobs, products and services, we all need to address climate change and grow the economy."

Jeffrey Swartz, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Timberland Company and member of The Climate Group's international coalition of business leaders said: "We support the US commitment to contribute to the $100 billion per year needed by 2020 to help developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change because it is exactly what is needed to create a truly global effort to solve climate change."