Reasons we need efficient ICT infrastructure

• The ICT industry uses a significant and increasing amount of energy

  A PC uses less energy than a car. So does a mobile phone. So does a PDA. But they all add up. The total energy use associated with the Internet is comparable to that of the airline industry -- about 2% of total use. (This figure is hard to estimate, but the message remains the same.)

  As the world pushes towards lower emission of greenhouse gases, we need the ICT industry to move along with that trend, or risk becoming the stand-out contributor to the problem.

• Energy is a limited resource

  The rate of extraction of oil is going to decline from now. The Age newspaper reports that official figures are overly optimistic.

• Current sources of energy are polluting

  We all need to reduce our "carbon footprint", which requires changes to all energy-consuming aspects of society.