How digital information services can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521211254022 |
| Pages | 489-506 |
| Published date | 03 August 2012 |
| Date | 03 August 2012 |
| Author | Gobinda Chowdhury |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
How digital information services
can reduce greenhouse gas
emissions
Gobinda Chowdhury
Centre for Information and Knowledge Management,
University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – The study aims to determine the environmental impact of printed content in libraries and
thus to find out how a digital information service can help libraries and institutions play a key role in
helping the environment.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected and analysed through a combination of
environment scan and document analysis, and some mathematical calculations. Comparative data for
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from printed books and journals in certain countries, and some
specific university libraries in Australia and New Zealand are presented. A lifecycle analysis approach
is used to identify various factors that are responsible for GHG emissions for printed as well as digital
information resources.
Findings – The study found that dematerialisation, i.e. the replacement of printed content with
digital information services, can help libraries and institutions to reduce their impact on the
environment. However it is also noted that further research is needed to develop benchmarks and
comparative data for GHG emissions from print-based and digital information services.
Practical implications – The paper provides data relating to the potential savings in GHG
emissions that can be achieved through dematerialisation of printed content in libraries. A series of
research issues in the area are identified.
Originality/value – The paper opens up a new area of research on the environmental impacts of
information services. For the first time raw data on GHG emissions from printed content held in
university libraries are calculated.
Keywords Digital libraries,Green information services,Green information retrieval,Cloud computing,
Green informationand communication technologies,Environmental management,University libraries
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Climate change has become a major public policy issue in most countries in recent
years, and consequently various measures are being taken by governments, industries
and institutions to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Greenhouse gases
include carbon dioxide (CO
2
), and other harmful gases such as nitrous oxide, ozone,
hydrocarbon and chlorofluorocarbons, plus black carbon, but GHG emission is
measured and expressed in metric tonnes (1,000 kg) of CO
2
equivalent (mTCO
2
e).
Although emission figures for several other industries are available and used for
developing environment-related policies and practices, such figures for the information
industry are not readily available. Overall there is a lack of systematic research on
measuring the environmental impact of information systems and services. A few
studies have been conducted but they had different objectives, mainly to compare print
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
Reducing
greenhouse gas
emissions
489
Received 7 January 2011
Accepted 27 August 2011
Online Information Review
Vol. 36 No. 4, 2012
pp. 489-506
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/14684521211254022
vs e-book models and to compare CO
2
emissions from printed books and e-books with
reference to specific e-book readers, etc. These works are reviewed in the next section.
As part of the recent government and international initiatives a significant amount of
research energy and resources is now being expended in different sectors for finding
solutions to climate change with the main objective of reducing GHG emissions. It is
widely believed that appropriate use of ICT in different sectors can significantly reduce
GHG emissions. The “Smart 2020” report of the Climate Group (2008) shows that “while
ICT’s own sector footprint – currently two per cent of global emissions – will almost
double by 2020, ICT’s unique ability to monitor and maximize energy efficiency both
within and outside of its own sector could cut CO
2
emissions by up to five times this
amount. This represents a saving of 7.8 Giga-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
(GtCO
2
e) by 2020 – greater than the current annual emissions of either the U Sor China ”.
The report further shows that improved and appropriate use of ICT can reduce “annual
man-made global emissions by 15 per cent by 2020 and deliver energy efficiency savings
to global businesses of over EUR 500 billion” (The Climate Group, 2008).
However to date very little research has been conducted to measure the
environmental costs of accessing information from print vs digital information
services. The Smart 2020 report (The Climate Group, 2008) suggests that replacing
physical products and services with their virtual equivalents, i.e. dematerialisation and
substitution, can help in the reduction of environmental impact. This may be true for
the information world but there is a general lack of research and debate on how the
modern ICT and internet and mobile technologies can be properly exploited to reduce
the GHG currently produced by printed information resources, and how Green
Information services can be developed. The broad research questions in this area
include the following:
(1) What are the environmental costs of the printed books, journals, reports etc.
that are the most frequently used information resources especially in academic
and research institutions?
(2) What are the environmental costs of developing and accessing digital
information services?
(3) What are the cost benefits of print vs digital information access and use?
(4) How can the information sector – information industries and institutions –
gear up to combat climate change issues and challenges in order to develop
economically and environmentally sustainable digital information services?
In this paper it is argued that digital information services, as opposed to print-based
information services, can play a key role in reducing GHG emissions. The main
research question that is addressed in this paper is: what is the carbon footprint of
printed content and how can libraries play a key role in helping the environment
through dematerialisation, i.e. by replacing printed books, journals, etc. with digital
content and digital information services. Based on carbon footprint data calculated for
the print collections of some university libraries in Australia and New Zealand, this
paper shows that digital information services can play a significant role in reducing
GHG emissions through dematerialisation. However it is argued that more systematic
research is needed in order to produce reliable data and best practice guidelines for
developing Green Information Services using Green ICT.
OIR
36,4
490
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