IDC will release the complete results of its ICT Sustainability Index in a press conference in Copenhagen on December 10 2009.
The Index ranks G20 countries based on their ability to use information and communications technologies (ICT) to efficiently reduce CO2 emissions. Countries will be categorised in five tiers based on their scores from IDC’s analysis.
In a statement, senior vice president of IDC's Enterprise Infrastructure, Consumer and Telecom Research, Vernon Turner said that while countries should strive to achieve the highest tier, the objective of the ranking is for countries understand why they fall into a particular tier.
According to IDC, G20 nations account for over seventy per cent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the world’s carbon emissions, and as six of the G20 nations come from the Asia Pacific region, the Index will reflect the prominent role Asia will play in the ICT Sustainability Index.
“We anticipate that some of the nations will see the opportunity to use the Index as a positive tool towards lowering their CO2 emissions. We also think that some may feel challenged by their Index ranking," Philip Carter, ICD associate research director for Green IT & Sustainability Research said in a statement.
The Index standardises the economic, energy, and ICT profiles of the twenty nations to compare countries with each other, and will be supplemented with a qualitative report containing policy recommendations on various ICT investments which can help achieve climate change goals.
The complete results of Index are part of a wider green initiative study by IDC to determine the role of ICT in enhancing environmental sustainability.
According to IDC, the study will help Governments tackle the long-term challenges of environmental and economic sustainability by helping countries to prioritise their ICT investments in major sectors, such as manufacturing and transport, as part of their overall climate change strategy.
The Climate Change Institute has also recently published a report looking at the low carbon productiveness of G20 nations.
The Low Carbon Competitiveness report which examines the competitiveness nineteen G20 nations to adapt to the opportunities and costs of moving to a carbon constrained world, lists Australia as 15th out of 19 countries behind countries such as Mexico, Russia and China.
The report reveals Australia’s productivity in a low carbon emission environment will be much lower compared to other countries with similar levels of GDP per capita, such as United Kingdom, Germany and France, which is ranked first.
The Low Carbon Competitiveness report is also aimed at helping G20 to understand and tackle the long-term challenges of environmental and economic sustainability.