ARMONK,
N.Y., June 23, 2017
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced that it
achieved two major commitments four years ahead of schedule in its
effort to help combat climate change.
"IBM has been one of industry's earliest and unambiguous
leaders regarding climate change, having publicly launched our
first specific CO2 emissions reduction goal in
2000 and having published a formal position in 2007. The
achievements we're announcing today are a testament to our
longstanding commitment to protecting our planet by delivering
action and results," said Wayne
Balta, IBM Vice President of Corporate Environmental Affairs
and Product Safety. "We know that businesses must play a
leadership role in the fight against climate change, and we
continue to lead by reducing our own operational impact and by
developing innovative solutions to help our clients do the
same."
Goal 1: Reduce
CO2 emissions associated with IBM's energy
consumption 35% by year-end 2020 against base year 2005 (adjusted
for acquisitions and divestitures). IBM achieved 38.1% at year-end
2016, which is approximately equivalent to the emissions associated
with the consumption of 1.8 million barrels of
oil.
IBM's latest accomplishments in relation to CO2 emissions
is a result of a decades-long effort throughout which the company
has set and met aggressive reduction goals. In fact, by 2005 IBM
had already reduced CO2 emissions to 40% of the
company's 1990 emissions.
Goal 2: Procure electricity from
renewable sources for 20% of IBM's annual electricity consumption
by 2020. IBM achieved 21.5% at year-end 2016, which is enough to
power about 60,000 homes for 1 year. If we also count renewable
electricity within the grid mix IBM receives, then 40.1% of IBM's
electricity supply across its managed spaces came from renewable
sources.
IBM set these ambitious goals in February 2015 and subsequently assigned them to
the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, a commitment by
hundreds of companies demonstrating their support for action on
climate change. By the end of 2016, IBM had exceeded both of
those commitments four years ahead of schedule.
Between 1990 and 2016, the company had conserved 7.2
million MWh of electricity, avoiding 4.4 million metric tons of
CO2 emissions and saving over $600 million. The emissions avoidance is
equivalent to taking 900,000 cars off the road for a
year.
In addition to supporting the American Business Act on Climate
Pledge, IBM voiced its support for a global climate agreement in
2015. Earlier this month, IBM reaffirmed its support
for the Paris Agreement and signed on to the
#WeAreStillIn pledge, voicing its commitment to
help lead the global fight against climate change.
Cognitive, Weather Models, and Analytics Advance the
Use of Renewable Energy
IBM has made major investments in the use of powerful
weather models and analytic and cognitive capabilities to develop
highly accurate forecasting tools for electricity demand as well as
solar and wind-power generation. These tools enable better use of
available renewable generation and more effectively integrate new
capacity into the grid. In February
2017, IBM and VELCO announced the creation of
Utopus Insights, Inc., a new energy analytics company
that provides open source application programming interfaces for
improved energy forecasting on the grid. New insights from
situational forecasting and cognitive technologies provide a more
accurate understanding of the amount of power available from
renewable sources, reducing risks and costs associated with the
electricity grid and enabling the widespread use of renewable
energy.
Partnerships for Environmental
Sustainability
While focused on improving its operational performance and
helping clients do likewise, IBM has worked over many years with
partners across the public, private and nongovernmental sectors to
advance environmental sustainability. Examples include the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The European Union, the
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, the Chicago Climate
Exchange, the Conference Board, the Conservation Fund, the
Environmental Law Institute, The Nature Conservancy, the World
Environment Center, the World Resources Institute, and the World
Wildlife Fund.
In 2016, IBM joined Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance and
became a founding member of the SMARTer2030 Action Coalition.
Earlier this year the company also joined the U.S. Water
Partnership.
- Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance works to make navigating
the path to renewables easier by connecting corporate demand to
renewable energy supply and by helping utilities better understand
the serve the needs of corporations.
- SMARTer2030 Action Coalition is an initiative of leading
companies, governments, multilaterals, eNGOs, thought leaders, and
community-based organizations promoting an agenda that implements
"smart" information and communications technology (ICT)-enabled
solutions to advance a low-carbon economy.
- U.S. Water Partnership's mission is to unite and mobilize
the best of U.S. expertise, resources and ingenuity to address
global water challenges, with a special focus on developing
countries where needs are greatest.
In March 2017, IBM won its
5th Climate Leadership Award from the U.S. EPA, the Center for
Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry during the
program's six year history. IBM is the first company to earn
this award in each of the award program's four organizational
categories of competition.
For more details on IBM's commitment to protecting the
environment, visit
https://ibm.biz/BdiunE.
Contact: Rachel Thomas
rachel.r.thomas@ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM