Getting beyond Net Zero dashboards in the information technology sector

Abstract

This perspective is inspired by current affairs in corporate social responsibility reporting in large technology companies, specifically the deployment of new software services to track carbon emissions in pursuit of Net Zero commitments. Drawing on first-hand observation of this practice over several years of employment in a US multinational firm, we focus on the carbon emissions dashboard as a representative example of key problems with the dominant approach to sustainability targets in the Information Technology (IT) sector. First, the ways in which green software tools and carbon accounting distract from more substantial climate action from business. Second, the reliance on tools that reinforce the hallmarks of petroculture – energy efficiency and productivity – irrespective of resource use and materials depletion. And third, the growing consensus on sustainability promoted by technology monopolies whose latest AI products clearly increase energy demand. We conclude with an invitation to energy social scientists to become more active in leveraging their expertise to develop comprehensive sustainability goals for the technology sector.