Proceedings of the 2014 conference ICT for Sustainability

Challenges and complexities in application of LCA approaches in the case of ICT for a sustainable future

Authors
Reza Farrahi Moghaddam, Fereydoun Farrahi Moghaddam, Thomas Dandres, Yves Lemieux, Réjean Samson, Mohamed Cheriet
Corresponding Author
Reza Farrahi Moghaddam
Available Online August 2014.
DOI
10.2991/ict4s-14.2014.19How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), ICT, Energy/Water Consumption, Smart Management, DVFS.
Abstract

In this work, three of many ICT-specific challenges of LCA are discussed. First, the inconsistency versus uncertainty is reviewed with regard to the meta-technological nature of ICT. As an example, the semiconductor technologies are used to highlight the complexities especially with respect to energy and water consumption. The need for specific representations and metric to separately assess products and technologies is discussed. It is highlighted that applying product-oriented approaches would result in abandoning or disfavoring of new technologies that could otherwise help toward a better world. Second, several believeduntouchable hot spots are highlighted to emphasize on their importance and footprint. The list includes, but not limited to, i) User Computer-Interfaces (UCIs), especially screens and displays, ii) Network-Computer Interlaces (NCIs), such as electronic and optical ports, and iii) electricity power interfaces. In addition, considering cross-regional social and economic impacts, and also taking into account the marketing nature of the need for many ICT’s product and services in both forms of hardware and software, the complexity of End of Life (EoL) stage of ICT products, technologies, and services is explored. Finally, the impact of smart management and intelligence, and in general software, in ICT solutions and products is highlighted. In particular, it is observed that, even using the same technology, the significance of software could be highly variable depending on the level of intelligence and awareness deployed. With examples from an interconnected network of data centers managed using Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) technology and smart cooling systems, it is shown that the unadjusted assessments could be highly uncertain, and even inconsistent, in calculating the management component’s significance on the ICT impacts.

Copyright
© 2014, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2014 conference ICT for Sustainability
Series
Advances in Computer Science Research
Publication Date
August 2014
ISBN
10.2991/ict4s-14.2014.19
ISSN
2352-538X
DOI
10.2991/ict4s-14.2014.19How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2014, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

TY  - CONF
AU  - Reza Farrahi Moghaddam
AU  - Fereydoun Farrahi Moghaddam
AU  - Thomas Dandres
AU  - Yves Lemieux
AU  - Réjean Samson
AU  - Mohamed Cheriet
PY  - 2014/08
DA  - 2014/08
TI  - Challenges and complexities in application of LCA approaches in the case of ICT for a sustainable future
BT  - Proceedings of the 2014 conference ICT for Sustainability
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 155
EP  - 164
SN  - 2352-538X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/ict4s-14.2014.19
DO  - 10.2991/ict4s-14.2014.19
ID  - FarrahiMoghaddam2014/08
ER  -