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Earth's life support systems are the sum of the planet's ice sheets, oceans, forests, rivers, lakes, a rich diversity of life, and gigantic recirculations of carbon, water, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The system is now most definitely unstable and could push it over the edge, taking us – 7.8 billion people – with it. – Johan Rockström

As we begin our journey with the foundational chapters of this book, many of you will likewise be navigating the early stages of your journey toward technology-enabled sustainability. While 90% of IT leaders report that their organization currently runs some kind of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative, only 40% say they are prepared to meet ESG regulations, and only 55% are pursuing sustainable IT initiatives (SAP LeanIX 2024). As of September 2024, the IT executive members of the professional...

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Climate change – our most significant challenge ahead

The 2024 Global Risks Report published by the World Economic Forum highlighted extreme weather events—amplified by climate change—as the number one risk over the next decade (World Economic Forum 2024). In 2025, it was ranked second to state-based armed conflict. The effects are felt all over the planet in extreme heat, cold, massive precipitation, drought, or wildfire. Climate change affects us all. It is a global problem that we jointly need to work on to solve. GHG emissions are more than 60% higher than in 1990. On March 20, 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reviewed the AR6 Synthesis Report, which paints a grim picture that we continue to spiral downward, but some solutions are starting to emerge to curb the climate crisis. We need to urgently transition into a sustainable way of living where we stay well within the constraints of Earth. Humanity is currently taking significantly...

Transitioning to a circular economy

Another long-term trend is the transition to a circular economy, which is likely to move faster with the increasing move to digitization and automation than in previous transformations. As we discussed earlier in the chapter, we are already consuming Earth's resources 1.75 times faster than the planet can replenish them. In our current way of living, finite raw materials are extracted or non-virgin plastics are used. The products are manufactured and shipped to a distribution point. The customer buys and uses the products once, and at the end of the product's lifetime, it is discarded with limited reusability or recycling—the process is linear. In a circular economy, we move from a linear process to a circular one. We stop producing waste in the first place. Nature itself—the circle of life—inspires the circular economy concept. Species are born, grow, decline, and die. Our remains rot in the ground and are...

The climate impact of the IT industry

On the surface, you might think that the usage of IT has a positive impact on the environment due to less business travel and commuting to work. Additionally, there is the use of videoconferencing tools from Microsoft and Zoom, leveraging supply chain management software from SAP and Oracle, leveraging digital twin technology for predicting asset failure, the use of Adobe Sign and Docusign for eSignatures, and countless other cloud solutions that are available at your fingertips. The ICT industry contributes to a large percentage of overall energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and e-waste, but it is also part of the solution of enabling remote working, process efficiencies, and energy efficiencies. With roughly 68.7% or 5.64 billion of the global population now on the internet, the immense activity is stacking up alongside the massive e-waste from computers, tablets, and smartphones, resulting in a whopping 62 million tons of e-waste generated...

Polarization and the need for courageous leadership

In today's polarized environment, advancing sustainability goals—especially those intertwined with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and responsible AI—requires a new level of tact, courage, and strategic communication. While still broadly supported by corporate stakeholders, these initiatives have become flashpoints in public discourse. Political backlash, shareholder activism, and media scrutiny have made it more difficult for companies and institutions to speak openly about their environmental and social commitments without facing reputational or even financial consequences. The United Nations Global Compact 2025 CEO survey shows that only 50% of CEOs feel comfortable talking about their sustainability progress publicly (UNGC 2025). This has fueled a phenomenon known as greenhushing, the reluctance to publicly promote sustainability goals, typically accompanied by the removal of pages from corporate...

Summary

As we reach the end of this chapter, if you were not already aware, you now have a better understanding of the great challenge humanity has in front of us to curb the climate crisis, and the determined and courageous leadership needed to meet the challenge. As you learned earlier in the chapter, the environmental impact of technology is one of the most well-kept secrets of the IT industry. As of 2025, the IT and aviation industries accounted for approximately the same percentage of global energy-related carbon emissions. However, due to the expected increase in data centers and data-intensive services such as AI, streaming, and cryptocurrency, carbon emissions from the IT sector could surpass those of the aviation industry by 2030. That is why there is a step change needed toward sustainable IT practices. The purpose of this book is not to explain the intricacies of why we have a climate crisis, but what we can do as technology leaders to focus on the what and the...

Further reading

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): https://www.ipcc.ch/
• United Nations – Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): https://sdgs.un.org/goals
• Polman, P. and Winston, A. (2021) Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take, Harvard Business Review Press
• Gates, B. (2022) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Allen Lane
• Doerr, J. (2021) Speed & Scale, Penguin Random House UK