The drive to make computers more environmentally friendly has been given an extra boost after the technology giants Google and Intel joined the rush to prove their green credentials. The move was widely welcomed by environmental groups. But analysts argued that the move was motivated by regulation and the need to reduce costs and that more needs to be done to reduce the total carbon footprint of electronic devices during production and disposal processes. Debates over reducing carbon emissions usually focus on sectors such as aviation and motoring, where pollution from vehicles has had a visible impact on the environment. However, research firm Gartner shows that the IT industry, excluding consumer electronics devices such as DVD and CD players, accounts for roughly 2 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions – roughly the same as the stigmatised airline industry. With awareness growing that computers are playing a big part in global warming, it was no surprise that Google and Intel joined the likes of Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft in making carbon reduction a priority. The two technology giants signed up to the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, which is backed by the World Wildlife Fund, with […]