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Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

greensoftware.foundation

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Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#2
Why do we need such a thing? Operating cost is proportional to energy, carbon emissions are also proportional to energy. Making your information systems cost less also makes them emit less carbon. The information industry has a clear and direct economic incentive to reduce carbon intensity, and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#3
post #2

Why do we need such a thing? Operating cost is proportional to energy, carbon emissions are also proportional to energy. Making your information systems cost less also makes them emit less carbon. The information industry has a clear and direct economic incentive to reduce carbon intensity, and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

There is a lack of political will to do the screamingly obvious thing and put a price on carbon emissions.

Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#4
post #2

Why do we need such a thing? Operating cost is proportional to energy, carbon emissions are also proportional to energy. Making your information systems cost less also makes them emit less carbon. The information industry has a clear and direct economic incentive to reduce carbon intensity, and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

because the cheapest energy is not necessarily the cleanest

Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#6
post #2

Why do we need such a thing? Operating cost is proportional to energy, carbon emissions are also proportional to energy. Making your information systems cost less also makes them emit less carbon. The information industry has a clear and direct economic incentive to reduce carbon intensity, and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

> Why do we need such a thing?

For starters, growing numbers of companies are required to report on their own emissions, which includes software - and therefore having agreed standards on how to measure this would seem a good way forward to me?

> carbon emissions are also proportional to energy

Reducing energy usage reduces carbon emissions, but they are not proportional. Highly dependent on the grid composition, time of day you draw the energy, and any behind-the-meter infrastructure.

> and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

To take AWS as an example, they still do not report scope 3 emissions for customers (due 'early 2024') - without which, these 'catalogued' numbers are essentially meaningless given how understated they are.

Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#7
How about starting with getting rid of all the bloated web-based crap...

I'm strongly against inefficient software for different reasons, but if stuff like this can have an effect beyond the virtue-signaling bureaucracy it's likely to become instead, maybe it's a good thing.

Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#8
post #4
post #2

Why do we need such a thing? Operating cost is proportional to energy, carbon emissions are also proportional to energy. Making your information systems cost less also makes them emit less carbon. The information industry has a clear and direct economic incentive to reduce carbon intensity, and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

because the cheapest energy is not necessarily the cleanest

That may be, but the awkward method used by this initiative says that PPAs don't count, so if you literally spin off a subsidiary to build a solar array for your new datacenter, and use a PPA to buy all of its output, that doesn't matter and you are supposed to use the regional grid carbon intensity. It is hard to imagine why anyone would adopt that method.

Re: Green Software Foundation's Software Carbon Intensity Spec Becomes ISO Standard

#9
post #2

Why do we need such a thing? Operating cost is proportional to energy, carbon emissions are also proportional to energy. Making your information systems cost less also makes them emit less carbon. The information industry has a clear and direct economic incentive to reduce carbon intensity, and all large operators do catalog and reduce GHG emissions.

> Why do we need such a thing? For starters, growing numbers of companies are required to report on their own emissions, which includes software - and therefore having agreed standards on how to measure this would seem a good way forward to me? > carbon emissions are also proportional to energy Reducing energy usage reduces carbon emissions, but they are not proportional. Highly dependent on the grid composition, tim…

...companies are required to report on their own emissions, which includes software...

Just be careful not to double-count hardware and software emissions.

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