Sustainable Development and Information System: Which Approaches for Which Contributions?

Amélie Bohas () and Laïd Bouzidi ()
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Amélie Bohas: MAGELLAN - Laboratoire de Recherche Magellan - UJML - Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 - Université de Lyon - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Lyon
Laïd Bouzidi: MAGELLAN - Laboratoire de Recherche Magellan - UJML - Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 - Université de Lyon - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Lyon

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Abstract: The production of a computer requires the use of at least 240 kilograms of fuel (that is to say approximately nine times the weight of the computer), 22 kilograms of chemicals and 1500 liters of water (Kuehr et al., 2003). With the rate of growth of the current power consumption of the Internet, namely 20% per annum, the academic of Dresden, Gerhard Fettweis, estimates that this one area of society will consume in 2050 as much energy as all humanity today (weekly WirtschaftsWoche, AFP, March 5, 2008). In the light of this observation, the argument that computers and more largely Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are not concerned about energy use is no longer valid. Today, due to depletion or even destruction of certain natural resources and ecological imbalances, the sector of Information Technologies (IT) cannot be unaware of its environmental impacts any more. This reflection is not entirely new, some works, at the origin of the program Energy Star, had already been initiated at the beginning of the Nineties in the United States. Nevertheless it has been necessary to wait more than ten years, before a real awakening emerged and a new research and sphere of activity appeared; that of Green IT. It is around this concept and its details of implementation that this paper concentrates. The objective of this paper is present current thinking on the situation in terms of definitions and of positioning but also to analyse to what extent Information Systems (IS) - taking into account their intrinsic characteristics - can contribute to Sustainable Development (SD). Finally, some perspectives of thinking in this field will be presented.

Keywords: Sustainable Development; Information Systems; Contribution; Durability; Green IT (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Istanbul Bilgi Unıversıty Press 270. Developing Sustainability: A collectıon of selected papers compıled by the Dorıch House Group of European Unıvarsıtıes, Belgin Çınar, pp.281-296, 2013, Dorich House Group of European Universities Collection, 978-605-399-286-8

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00872564

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