Green IT

So, I've just finished reading an article entitled 'Google's Green Investments' in the latest Computer Weekly. The article (written by William Knight) delves into Google's much heralded carbon neutral stance in their datacentres and question's whether it's really all a publicity stunt. I suspect a bit of both but I did read something that staggered me. The Gartner Group have estimated that the IT business is responsible for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions - compare this to figures for aviation (3-5%?).

So..with the huge growth in IT and Technology services are we going to become the next big polluters of the planet? Lord Carter produced the governments interim report on 'Digital Britain' a few days ago. The only real reference to carbon emissions is the following excerpt:

"Technology change, entrepreneurial and creative imagination and network infrastructure are now coming together in ways that, over the next five years, will transform our living and working patterns; this is convergence. Nowhere is this more evident than in the contribution that information and communications technology, in combination with energy technology, can make in delivering a low carbon knowledge economy."

Now, am I reading this correctly or is that a statement of admission that the IT sector has a significant part to play in reducing carbon emissions? If it is then why is there not more on the subject? It's only an interim report and there's obviously more to come but I think if the government are serious on reducing emissions they need to be more aggressive.