A Case for Climate Neutrality

VIRTUAL CLIMATE NEUTRALITY

The information and communications technology (ICT) sector

contributes approximately two per cent of the world’s GHG

emissions. However, the use of computers to control and

organize every aspect of our lives and economies gives this

sector a significant influence over the remaining 98 per cent.

Dell, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of computers

and computer-related products, has made the decision to go

climate neutral. But as its own analysis shows [see graphic],

even offsetting every tonne of CO

required by the agreed

protocol for carbon neutrality accounts for a relatively small

portion of the emissions associated with its business.

Dell counts within its GHG inventory the direct emissions from

its own factories and facilities worldwide, plus those from

business travel. Together, they amounted to about 470,000

tonnes of CO

between 2008 and 2009.

These emissions were, however, just a small fraction of the

emissions which Dell judges to be linked with its own business

and products. About 20 times the company’s own emissions are

estimated to be produced from “upstream” and “downstream”

sources—upstream being emissions frommaking and shipping

components, and downstream being the electricity used in the

running of Dell’s computers and servers worldwide. Emissions

from each of these sources are estimated at five million tonnes

annually (10 million tonnes in total).

Dell is committed to reducing its direct and business travel

emissions as much as possible, while offsetting the rest. Since

around 80 per cent of these emissions are from electricity, this

is where the company will focus its efforts in striving towards

carbon neutrality.

After exhausting the maximum efficiency improvements, Dell

undertakes to account for all of its electricity use through

purchase of renewable energy. As far as possible this is done

through negotiation with the utilities that supply the power

itself—in the United States Dell is able to source 36 per cent

of its power from renewable generation technologies, and 26

per cent worldwide—well above the average availability for

renewable power.