Climate change and computing: facts, perspectives and an open discussion

BSTRACTThe rise of temperatures on Earth have alerted communities around the globe to devise immediate solutions to help curb the severe effects of Climate Change, which is attributed to greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. Even though the Computing field is a cause of emissions in its own right, it also has the potential to increase the efficiency of human workflows in all sectors, such as transportation, buildings, energy & heat production, industry, agriculture, and livestock, etc. In this panel discussion, we start out with a general overview of terminology, factors, metrics, and objectives related to climate change, and then survey: (i) Green Conferences; (ii) Green Mobility; (iii) Green Cities and (iv) Green Smart Spaces. The participants are expected to bring into the discussion their own perspectives from the academic, governmental, and industrial sector to report on how they perceive the future of the Computing Field in a future shaped by Climate Change, and how we can all help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.