Download the full report here: EN
Below is the executive summary of the report,
highlighting particular outcomes and future recommendations that were a
result of the roundtable discussions.
To see photos of this roundtable please visit our Flickr gallery (bottom, right).
Executive Summary
Europe must take advantage of the opportunities offered by cloud computing if it
is to rise to the challenges presented by climate change and realise the economic
vision contained in its Europe 2020 strategy. So heard participants in the March
31 roundtable discussion – organised by Friends of Europe’s ‘Greening Europe
Forum’– which looked at how a revolution in the ICT sector could help the EU
maintain a competitive edge while protecting citizens’ data and reducing Europe’s
climate and energy footprint.
For Willy De Backer, Head of Friends of Europe’s ‘Greening Europe Forum’, the
event provided a platform for panelists to examine “how green ICT and cloud
computing can help drive the transformative policy agenda that Europe and the
world needs to move towards a low-carbon, resource-light economy.”
As Niels Soelberg, Microsoft Vice-President Public Sector Sales for Europe, the
Middle East and Africa, explained in his opening address, “Cloud is a tool to enable
solutions to lead more sustainable lives. We see information moving to empower
the citizen.” He added, "It's also about what cloud computing can do to cut down
resources as waste in business." "The cloud will also help move the EU forward
with the low-carbon economy."
Participants – including business leaders, EU officials, environmental campaigners
and academics – also looked at the business opportunities and innovation potential
associated with cloud computing. Exploring the challenges of greening the ICT
sector brought several issues under the spotlight, including concerns over privacy,
the need for greater interoperability, and difficulties in convincing businesses to start
using the new technology.
The discussion examined how cloud could help meet the 20:20:20 targets, which
envisage a 20 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions, among others. Robert
Madelin, European Commission Director General for Information, Society and
Media, insisted this would only be achieved with coordinated action between
policymakers, big business and civil society.
For Tom Dowdall, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace International,
the possibilities of cloud computing in tackling climate change are enormous, while
Peter Thomond, Senior Consultant and Research Manager at the Think Play Do
Opportunities and challenges of greening ICT: Spring 2011 5
Group at Imperial College London agreed that policymakers would need to harness
the potential of ICT if it was to move to a low carbon economy.
The issue of smart transportation also came under the spotlight at the event, with
Soelberg highlighting how greening ICT could reduce the need for international
travel in the business world. However, Dennis Pamlin, Director of Low-Carbon
Leaders at the UN Global Compact and Senior Associate at the Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences (CASS), insisted that ICT would only be able to contribute to a
sustainable Europe if its benefits were recognised in key pieces of legislation and
policy proposals.
Molly Webb, Head of Smart Technology at The Climate Group said that ICT could
save energy and protect resources – but warned that current systems would need
to be improved if the cloud is to deliver on climate change.
One of the key themes running through the debate was the need for Europe to
invest in innovation and make the most of the economic opportunities presented
by the ICT sector. This, the panel claimed, was more important than ever given
the growing competition in a globalised market and the uncertain financial climate.
SMEs, which make up over 95 per cent of European companies, will need to be
on board if this is going to happen. This, for Bernd Welz, Senior Vice-President
of SAP Cloud Services, will involve something of an ICT revolution involving close
partnership between policymakers and businesses. However, Alexander Wolf,
Computing Professor at Imperial College London, insisted that new growth models
were needed to create a truly sustainable economy and secure long-term carbon
reductions.
Eva Lichtenberger, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Greens/EFA group,
spoke of scepticism in the business world and civil society when it comes to
using cloud services. For Lichtenberger, it is crucial to confront the issue of trust,
security and data storage in facilitating a shift to the cloud. However, Thomond
warned that concerns surrounding security and data protection reflected a lack of
understanding. It was up to businesses and policymakers to convince consumers
of the economic benefits of cloud computing to enable the practice to really take
off, he argued.
