A survey of IT managers in the public sector showed 60% did not know there were any targets to aim for. Respondents said that they were unaware of the Greening ICT Strategy, and among those who were aware, nearly one third said that they had made no changes to their own ICT usage and procurement, and had no plans to make any such changes.
Less than half had calculated their department's "carbon footprint".
It is estimated that information and communication technology (ICT) accounts for one-fifth of the Government's carbon emissions. The Greening ICT Strategy was intended to put the government in a leadership role in the sustainable use of ICT.
A large proportion of carbon emissions can be blamed on the manufacture of new equipment, so a principal focus of the initiative is to make the best use of existing equipment.
The Global Action Plan study was conducted by direct surveys of ICT managers in the public sector - local and national government, education, healthcare and so on - as well as a questionnaire in the magazine Computer Weekly.
Government electricity usage is continuing to rise, and it is likely that one of the big reasons for this is the proliferation of computers, laptops, chargers, lobby televisions and the air conditioning of server rooms. It's clear that ambition levels need to be raised.
