“Going green doesn’t start with doing green acts, it starts with a shift in consciousness.” ~ Ian Somerhalder
Today, in 2025, the ICT-sector is responsible for an estimated 1.8%-3.9% of global greenhouse gas emissions, likely greater than the aviation sector, which contributes about 2% of global emissions.
This is rapidly growing with the raise of AI. The big actors are even buying nuclear plants to feed their data centers. And while some of the aspects of those new technologies are definitively positive, we have to be aware of their impact on the climate, but also their societal impact. Not everybody will benefit from all that technology, but we will all have to pay for it.
Green IT is for me a way to build awareness and to limit the negative impact of IT. This can sometimes be done on a very simple way: do I need to hold all that history in my mails, do I need the last iPhone, and ultimately, do I prefer to dialog with a friend or with an AI bot ? Let me be clear: I love technology, and I certainly hold too much digital archive, and yes I sometimes find AI handy in my work, but what is the limit ? What do I need, and when do I start to over-consume ?
We consume IT like we consume other goods and services: sometimes we are simply consuming too much. Green IT is for me like going to the clothes shop and deciding that maybe I don´t need another shirt, pant or pair of shoes while I already have plenty of them.