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14 May 2009
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that the growth of IT could ruin attempts to halt global warming.
The organisation's Gadgets and Gigawatts report said that the energy consumed by information and communications technologies will double by 2022, and increase threefold to 1,700 Terawatt hours (TWh) by 2030.
"This increase up to 1,700 TWh is equivalent to the current combined total residential electricity consumption of the US and Japan," said IEA executive director Nobuo Tanaka.
"It would also cost households around the world $200bn [£132bn] in electricity bills, and require the addition of approximately 280 Gigawatts of new generating capacity between now and 2030."
Electronic devices in the home currently account for 15 per cent of all energy usage, according to the report, and is set to grow rapidly. Commercial electronics would also add a heavy burden to energy requirements.
However, this increase could be cut in half if manufacturers adopted technologies that already exist to cut power consumption. Tanaka cited mobile phone manufacturers as leading in this field.
"Many mobile devices are already far more efficient in their use of power than other devices which run off a mains electricity supply," he said.
"Because extending the battery life of a mobile device is a selling point, manufacturers place an emphasis on designing products which require very little power.
"This example shows us what can be achieved. Where no such commercial drivers exist, governments must step in to ensure that we make the most of every energy efficiency opportunity."
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Where's the science
The article makes a strong statement in its first sentence then fails to support it. For the past 20 years I believed global warming was caused by CO2. Now, after many months of research, I'm not so sure. It's looking more and more to be a natural phenomenon to me. My interest in energy policy is so great I launched www.energyplanusa.com where I take a common sense look at global warming and energy policy. I've waded through the wellspring of global warming theory, the United Nation's IPCC reports, and conclude they lack the 'smoking gun' that proves global warming is man-made. Moreover, I've come to realize that man-made global warming theory cherry picks facts and ignores contradictory evidence from reliable studies. I'm dismayed that my own party, the Democrats, the thinkers, have turned a scientific issue into religious zealotry where faith trumps facts. I'm also dismayed that the American press seems content with publishing hearsay, without backing up conclusions and presumptions with facts and evidence. Before we increase the cost of energy with cap-and-trade, I believe it's imperative that the United States establishes a non-political, scientific commission to review all facts and evidence surrounding global warming. The UN, a political organization, should not be determining our energy policy. The stakes are huge. If we respond to global warming incorrectly, our children and grandchildren will likely lead lives of increasing hardship and desperation.
Posted by: Rmoen 15 May 2009