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3: Collaboration Is Key for Green IT 53

Al Gore’s July 2008 Bold Plan to Save the Planet

In July 2008, Al Gore announced an initiative to save the planet. The plan
was so bold that the July 18, 2008 issue of Time magazine ran an article titled
“Gore’s Bold, Unrealistic Plan to Save the Planet.” Gore challenged America
to generate 100 percent of our electricity from sources that do not lead to
global warming—and to do it within ten years.
Speaking in Washington on July 17, 2008, Gore called on Americans
to completely abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels within ten
years and replace them with carbon-free renewables like solar, wind, and
geothermal. It is a bold plan, almost to the point of folly. But at the very
least, it’s one that certainly matches the scale of his rhetoric. “The sur-
vival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk,” he said.
“The future of human civilization is at stake.” Gore ended his speech on
his plan with a rousing reminder of President John F. Kennedy’s chal-
lenge to put a man on the moon—a challenge that was met, Gore noted,
in less than a decade. He stated, “We must now lift our nation to reach
another goal that will change history.”
Gore’s vision of a completely decarbonized electrical supply within ptg
ten years makes discussions toward green computing seem like a piece of
cake. However, Gore’s bold plan fits very well with the topic of this
chapter: We must all collaborate on green IT, and much more collabora-
tion is required to solve the issues of climate change and global green-
house gas emissions. Gore’s emphasis on problems of national security,
foreign oil dependency, and high energy prices should get a majority of
Americans to support going green.
Although the Kennedy challenge for getting a man on the moon
within ten years is an interesting comparison, the climate challenge will
be quite different. The difference is largely in the global collaboration
required. The moon shot called for focused scientific resources for a sin-
gle target. Outside Houston and Cape Canaveral, most of us just
watched. But decarbonizing our energy supply will require innovation,
funding, and sacrifice at every level of society. It will be long and ardu-
ous, and even if it works, we won’t be rewarded with stirring film of a
man on the moon. Nevertheless, we in information technology have an
opportunity to almost immediately contribute—to collaborate—in the
global effort of going green.