Environmental analysis news: IT is the "secret weapon" in the fight against global warming

IT is the common denominator across every strategy to fight climate change, providing a unique opportunity to bring a number of initiatives together, one expert claims.

Speaking at the Green IT Expo 2009, Warren Wilson, research director at Ovum/Datamonitor, said: "We'll need every contribution from renewable energy to reforestation and many others. But IT is the key to optimising all of these and pulling all of them together - the secret weapon, if you will, to combating global warming."

Mr Wilson pointed out that technology plays a part in every industry and can be used to streamline organisations and make them greener.

Efficiency is key, he said, as striving to make business processes more economical has environmental benefits through the reduction of carbon emissions, as well as financial ones through the cost savings.

A report published by Datamonitor in July this year found that the demand for cost-effective green IT is likely to increase because IT budgets are expected to remain flat.

Posted by Claire Manning