The time for talking about climate change is over. The time for action is now.
The business case for tackling climate change has never been stronger. A recent report published by United in Science found that the years 2015 to 2022 were the warmest years on record.
In January 2021, a United Nations survey with 1.2 million respondents in 50 countries, the largest survey of public opinion on climate change ever conducted, found that 64% of people said that climate change was an emergency.
The harrowing consequences of climate change are already unfolding, leading to the loss of life and the devastation of precious ecosystems. The year 2023 has witnessed a cascade of extreme weather events, including wildfires, heatwaves, and torrential storms. The future of our natural world and humanity now hangs in the balance.
The corporate sector, which is responsible for over 70% of global emissions, is increasingly under pressure from consumers, shareholders and employees to take proactive steps in the battle against climate change.
Empowered Employees
The way we work is changing. The way we live is changing. And the way we think about those changes is changing too.
The younger generations of consumers are actively steering their purchasing habits towards sustainable choices. Yet, the shift isn’t confined to consumer preferences alone. A recent study carried out by Bloomberg reveals that workers are now taking active steps to reshape their careers in search of greener jobs.
In recent years the demand for jobs dedicated to addressing climate change has shown steady growth. The Global Green Skills Report carried out by LinkedIn in the past year found that job postings requiring green skills have been increasing at an annual rate of approximately 8% since 2015.
Many job seekers are looking to work in companies aligned with their own climate goals to help reduce environmental impact. Some individuals are even prepared to accept lower wages in exchange for the opportunity to work for environmentally responsible businesses. Employees are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about their choices and demanding more transparency from companies about their sustainability efforts. Employees now use their influence to change how the company they work for operates.
As well as employees, stakeholders are also putting pressure on businesses to adopt a more sustainable mindset.
C Level Responsibility
It is imperative that companies acknowledge the shift in attitudes surrounding corporate sustainability and their company’s social impact on the world.
Research found 51% of CEOs name sustainability as their greatest challenge for their organisation over the next 2 to 3 years. Despite the widespread recognition of the significance of sustainability, there exists a considerable gap between intent and action.
According to reports carried out by IBM, 86% of companies have a sustainability strategy, but only 35% have taken tangible steps to execute these strategies. This disconnect between intention and implementation requires immediate action.
CEOs must actively shape the narrative around sustainability and drive the transformation journey from the top down.
The Role of the CIO
CIOs and CTOs identify sustainability as the top area where technology will have the greatest impact over the next 3 years.
Information Technology is a major and expanding consumer of resources. Realigning IT infrastructure with a company’s sustainability goals is not easy. While the concept of Green IT isn’t new it is now at the forefront of many companies’ agendas as they try to make an impact on climate change.
Green IT is about reducing waste and increasing efficiency throughout the entire business, from production to recycling and disposal at the end of the product lifecycle.
To attain corporate sustainability objectives, CIOs must adopt a sustainability centric mindset, adopt proactive strategies, engage employees and leaders across all departments and be the driver for progress towards a more sustainable future. CIOs should analyse their existing IT operations with an emphasis on their environmental footprint while adhering to the company’s long term objectives and outcomes.
Green IT
The global power capacity of data centres has grown by 43% in the last 3 years. Consequently, data centres worldwide consume a substantial 200 to 250 Terawatt hours of electricity.
One approach to address this energy demand is to consolidate multiple server workloads into a single environment to significantly improve Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). This not only reduces server room environmental costs and software license fees but also enhances workload management and overall productivity.
IBM’s innovative solution, the LinuxONE Emperor 4™ server is designed with sustainability in mind. It can consolidate x86 server workloads onto one IBM LinuxONE Emperor 4™ and reduce energy consumption by up to 75%. It will also reduce your data centre floor space by up to 50%*
The LinuxOne Emperor 4™ delivers consistent transactional service levels without compromising on security, performance, or scalability ensuring seamless and efficient operations.
IBM’s Z16 server also excels in sustainability featuring an energy-efficient architecture that contributes to reduced operational costs and minimised carbon emissions. One IBM Z16 can effectively replace the work of up to 2000 x86 cores, consolidating your computing infrastructure and reducing the need for extensive floor space.
The Z16 Max 1251 model takes sustainability to the next level by reducing its CO2e footprint by approximately 75%.
Throughout the entire lifecycle of their servers, IBM places a strong emphasis on environmental responsibility, from adopting enhanced manufacturing and material sourcing practices to offering comprehensive material recycling options at the end of their productive life.
Not convinced? Try IBM’s TCO Calculator.
Are you ready to reduce your IT Carbon Footprint?
At Triton, we specialise in helping clients modernise their IT infrastructure, software and products. If you are looking to reduce your energy consumption to meet your sustainability goals or require consultancy to transform your business and its data platforms contact our team of experts.
Footnotes
1 IBM internal tests show that when running WebSphere and Db2 workloads, IBM z16 requires 16 times fewer cores than the compared x86 servers. If you scale this up to a complete IT solution this means when running this workload, the IBM z16 Max 125 would be doing the work of about 2000 cores of the compared x86 servers.