Government taskforce calls for greener home PCs

A UK government taskforce has been created to tackle carbon emissions from home computers.

An estimated 35 million tonnes of CO2 is generated from the production, operation and disposal of PCs and their peripherals each year.

Analysts reckon that the IT industry is responsible for two per cent of global CO2 emissions, equal to that of the airline industry.

The new public-private Green Shift taskforce will be led by Manchester City Council and will oversee the piloting of the 'Green PC' service. 

"The Green PC service is part of a package of proposals that could make a fundamental contribution in meeting the challenge of climate change," said Richard Leese, councillor at Manchester City Council.

"Critical to our approach is that sustainability and inclusion go hand-in-hand. It is no use developing solutions that most people cannot afford. "

The service will use thin-client technology, connecting a shell PC in the home to super-efficient data centres across the country which it hopes will use around 75 per cent less energy than standard PCs.

"Innovative proposals like the Green PC service are essential if we are to tackle climate change," said community and local government minister Phil Woolas.

"Cyber-warming is a massive issue and this is a sign of how serious the UK is about tackling it. Only if all of our communities are engaged in action to tackle climate change will we be successful."

The service will be piloted in early 2008, and rolled out in late 2009.