Carbon footprint and IoT

The carbon footprint can be defined as the impact left by human activity on the environment. That is, the environmental brand generated by a person, product or organization on the planet due to its daily actions, totaled according to emission parameters of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency of the USA, the largest emitters of CO2 are:

Transportation | 29%
Electricity Production | 28%
Industry | 22%
Commercial & Residential | 12%
Agricultural | 9%

These industries can also look towards IoT devices and applications as a tool to reduce their carbon footprint and their impact on the environment. At first, such initiatives for sustainability and climate change remediation took a minimal part in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. Now, these companies and industries are looking at carbon footprint reduction activities as a mainstream initiative that forms a significant part of their operations and their businesses.

IoT can help industries execute their initiatives towards reducing their carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. In a report published by Ericsson, the use of IoT has the potential of reducing emissions by as much as 63.5 gigatons by the year 2030, should all industrial sectors participate. IoT is destined to be an enabler that will help industries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and increase their energy efficiency.

The most important uses of the Internet of Things (IoT) to reduce the carbon footprint are: