Recap: How to develop green skills and foster sustainability within tech teams? Webinar with GoCodeGreen

As the tech industry expands and the environmental impact of software development garners increasing attention, the demand for sustainable solutions is more crucial than ever. Incorporating green engineering practices and fostering green skills among tech professionals allows businesses to support environmental preservation while also enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs.

On 17 July, techUK partnered with GoCodeGreen for a webinar to discuss the broader impact of green coding on the tech sector and its crucial role for the future.

During the webinar, techUK members heard from GoCodeGreen’s Gareth Edwards and Sarah Dixon. Our guests shed light on carbon emissions associated with digital products and services, providing the audience with real-life examples.

Did you know that:

Approximately 30% of large enterprise emissions are IT-related.
More than 40% of software emissions can be attributed to human impact.
An average phone has embodied carbon that weighs as much as an average adult male (circa 75kg).
Emails account for 0.3% of the global carbon footprint.
Spotify streams of Olivia Rodrigo’s single “Drivers License” generated a carbon impact greater than flying from London to New York 4,000 times.
Emissions generated by Taylor Swift’s private jet in 2023 can be matched by 2 days of Spotify streams of her songs.
It takes roughly 10 days of social media usage to match the emissions generated by an average domestic flight.
If we had to sequester carbon from Bitcoin mining from the 2020 – 2021 period, we would need 3.9 billion trees.
Generating 1,000 images with AI uses approximately the same amount of energy as driving 4 miles in a petrol car.

GoCodeGreen’s team also walked our audience through the steps they take with the tech teams they work with and strategies that can make a real difference.

A recording from the session can be found below:

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By 2030, digital technology can cut global emissions by 15%. Cloud computing, 5G, AI and IoT have the potential to support dramatic reductions in carbon emissions in sectors such as transport, agriculture, and manufacturing. techUK is working to foster the right policy framework and leadership so we can all play our part. For more information on how techUK can support you, please visit our Climate Action Hub and click ‘contact us’.

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