IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Johor’s Iskandar Puteri still has some way to go before it can further reduce its carbon footprint and be as green it wants to be, but it is heading steadfastly in that direction.

On Nov 22, 2017, Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar officially proclaimed Iskandar Puteri as Johor’s second city after Johor Baru. This also made it the 14th city in Malaysia. The Johor Baru Central Municipal Council, which was established on March 1, 1978, was upgraded to the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) on Jan 1, 2001.

According to the AIIA CEO, Suzanne Campbell, the CEFC has not “suitably addressed” nor fully considered ICT solutions, adding that there was a “glaring omission” in the GEFC report, which only “indirectly singled out ICT solutions as examples of energy efficiency technologies."

Government departments have saved around £1.3m during the past year from adopting greener ICT practices, such as improving the energy efficiency of server rooms and replacing business travel to meetings with videoconferencing.

That is one of the key findings of the Cabinet Office's first annual progress report, Greening Government: ICT Strategy.

At a time when the debate about building a sustainable future is gathering strength around the world, governments and corporates are coming increasingly under the scanner on the measures that they adopt for reducing environmental damage. Green IT has become the latest buzzword on managing one's ecological footprint. Corporates today are constantly looking for ways to mitigate the impact of their actions on the environment and governments are looking to change the traditional way of functioning, one that is far from energy efficient.

Gamuda Bhd group managing director Datuk Lin Yun Ling talks about the group’s journey towards zero-carbon, and why the transition has to be a collective effort on the part of all stakeholders.

In recent years, countries around the world, led by the US, the European Union (EU) and China, have accelerated their transition to the green economy to tackle the devastating effects of climate change. As these countries rev up their commitments to transforming to low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive economies, it will be only a matter of time before it becomes imperative for other countries and economic sectors to follow suit, particularly if it is a prerequisite to doing business.

Ecological ICT infrastructure is one of four areas the Korean government is working on to achieve the ten per cent carbon reduction. The three projects that fall under this scheme include life cycle management of IT systems, the integration of government servers and web sites, and greening the government data centre (see interview with the National Computing and Information Agency).

A city with population growth and economic prosperity cannot be considered successful if the environment and quality of life deteriorate as a result, said Jeong. Busan is South Korea’s second largest city with a population of 3.6 million. “We must maintain green spaces, and improve the air and water quality. Sustainable development is the most meaningful success indicator,” he explained.

One of Busan’s challenges is improving the water quality and surrounding of its rivers and streams. “We had many streams which gave off nasty smells, and promenades which were not developed,” he said.

To help carry out the national green growth strategy, the Ministry of Planning and Investment is making a national action plan on green growth for 2021 - 2030 to be submitted to the Prime Minister this April.

The plan is critical to ensuring the targets, orientations, and tasks set in the national strategy are feasible and implemented effectively.