According to the organisation’s ICT project director Molly Webb, encouraging businesses to think about the possible benefits which could arise from considering climate change solutions will push them to develop new technologies and solutions.

The business solutions that firms could look into may include the production of ICT products like how to make data control centres more energy-efficient and the improvement of PCs’ power management, she says.

Such developments could benefit the economy by reducing annual man-made global emissions by up to 25 per cent by 2020, research by the Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative shows.

Webb explains: ‘Climate change can present business opportunities that are good for the planet and good for [companies’] bottom line.’

According to the study, worldwide PC ownership will rise by 300 per cent between 2007 and 2020 and laptops will replace desktops as the main contributors to ICT pollution.