Cisco, Ericsson and Fujitsu lead IT companies in efforts to combat climate change, environmental group Greenpeace said Tuesday at international talks in Mexico.
Greenpeace released its survey as a follow-up to a study two years ago that found that the IT sector could contribute to a 15 percent cut in the overall economy’s carbon emissions blamed for global warming.
The environmental group said there was a “significant delay across the sector in turning potential into action” but said that “a few companies stand out.”
“Cisco, Ericsson and Fujitsu deserve praise for exhibiting the boldest and most encompassing industry efforts to address climate change to date,” it said. Greenpeace gave its top rank to computer networking powerhouse Cisco and its lowest to business software maker Oracle.
Greenpeace said it measured companies by their efforts both to cut their own emissions and to help the rest of the economy cut back on its carbon output.
In one point that may draw scrutiny, Greenpeace also judged companies on whether they pursued political advocacy on climate.
Google won the top rank for advocacy. The Internet giant in October took a leading role in a five-billion-dollar project to power the US East Coast with wind from the Atlantic Ocean.
But Greenpeace gave Google a low mark for its own energy impact, saying the company did not disclose its carbon footprint and has not announced a greenhouse gas reduction target.
“This is unacceptable from a company that prides itself on innovation and leadership, and ironic given Google’s mission to put all of the world’s information online,” Greenpeace said.
