Unraveling Green Information Technology Systems as a Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Game-Changer

Abstract

Green information technology systems (Green ITS) are proposed as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and other environmental impacts while supporting ecological sustainable development. The Green ITS concept combines both Green information technology (IT) and Green information system (IS) applications. The Green ITS concept has the potential to combat the carbon emission problem globally, beyond simply Green IT, because it combines management, organizational, and technology dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially if supported by global policy. Examples include life cycle assessment software for measuring GHG emissions, and software for monitoring GHG emissions. Previous studies on environmental burdens such as GHGs, water and air pollution, energy losses and other forms of waste alongside socio-economic dependent variables including renewable resources and climate change policies are reviewed and synthesized. The research analysis conjointly points to the usage of renewable resources such as solar and wind as a critical strategy to scale back GHG emissions and enhance green growth. Empirical evidence shows that developed countries can reduce their carbon emissions while developing countries can utilize carbon emission-free technologies as they aspire to achieve development. The two significant benefits of the Green ITS strategy are first, to provide the environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions and other environmental impacts and second, to enhance global green growth, which supports achievement of ecological sustainable development. Green ITS tools support achievement of the UN SDG 7, 13 and 15, which emphasize clean energy, climate action and ecological sustainable development, respectively. Future research directions include the formulation of a strategy to combat GHGs and design of a system to monitor carbon emissions and other waste remotely.

Trends in Scientific Literature on Energy Return Ratio of Renewable Energy Sources for Supporting Policymakers

“…Although renewable energy sources (RES) satisfy a small percentage of global primary energy demand, their importance has been increasing in most countries due to unquestionable environmental and social benefits (lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that result in mitigating climate change) and the possibility to be managed at local and participative level (Lyu and Shi 2018;Capellán-Pérez et al 2019). Numerous strategies have been adopted to mitigate GHG emissions with an administrative science approach in the form of green information technology and green information systems (Imasiku et al 2019). Moreover, governments are addressing the effects of climate change and managing the associated transition to a larger share of renewable energy-based generation (Chapman et al 2016).…”

Organizational Insights, Challenges and Impact of Sustainable Development in Developing and Developed Nations

“…By 2030, the two blocs-developing and developed nations will need to adopt the key transformational strategies toward developing sustainable socioeconomic frameworks and balanced ecosystem by reforming the policies and governance system; changing human behavior, societal norms, and beliefs; enhancing data analytics using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI); and making communities aware of these key drivers of sustainability [24].…”

Industrial Ecology and Innovation: At What Point Are We? Editorial for the Special Issue “Industrial Ecology and Innovation”

“…The article written by Imasiku et al (2019) "Unraveling Green Information Technology Systems as a Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Game-Changer", lies in the field of technology, analyzing its strategic role in supporting the efficient management of environmental emissions and impacts while supporting an ecological sustainable development. In particular, the authors aim at unraveling the Green Information Technology System (Green ITS) as a potential tool to combat Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emissions by analyzing the different elements of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).…”