This PDF is available from The National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13415 Computing Research for Sustainability ISBN Lynette I. Millett and Deborah L. Estrin, Editors; Committee on Computing 978-0-309-25758-9 Research for Environmental and Societal Sustainability; Computer Science and Telecommunications Board; Division on Engineering and Physical 155 pages Sciences; National Research Council 6 x 9 PAPERBACK (2012) Visit the National Academies Press online and register for... Instant access to free PDF downloads of titles from the NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 10% off print titles Custom notification of new releases in your field of interest Special offers and discounts Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Request reprint permission for this book Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability COMPUTING RESEARCH FOR SUSTAINABILITY Lynette I. Millett and Deborah L. Estrin, Editors Committee on Computing Research for Environmental and Societal Sustainability Computer Science and Telecommunications Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Gov- erning Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engi- neering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. Support for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation under award 115-0950451. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization that provided support for the project. International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-25758-9 International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-25758-1 Copies of this report are available from: The National Academies Press 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360 Washington, DC 20001 (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 http://www.nap.edu Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal govern- ment on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its mem- bers, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advis- ing the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in pro- viding services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. www.national-academies.org Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability COMMITTEE ON COMPUTING RESEARCH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIETAL SUSTAINABILITY DEBORAH L. ESTRIN, University of California, Los Angeles, Chair ALAN BORNING, University of Washington DAVID CULLER, University of California, Berkeley THOMAS DIETTERICH, Oregon State University DANIEL KAMMEN, University of California, Berkeley JENNIFER MANKOFF, Carnegie Mellon University ROGER D. PENG, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health ANDREAS VOGEL, SAP Labs Staff LYNETTE I. MILLETT, Senior Program Officer VIRGINIA BACON TALATI, Associate Program Officer SHENAE BRADLEY, Senior Program Assistant v Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD ROBERT F. SPROULL, Oracle (retired), Chair PRITHVIRAJ BANERJEE, ABB STEVEN M. BELLOVIN, Columbia University JACK L. GOLDSMITH III, Harvard Law School SEYMOUR E. GOODMAN, Georgia Institute of Technology JON M. KLEINBERG, Cornell University ROBERT KRAUT, Carnegie Mellon University SUSAN LANDAU, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study PETER LEE, Microsoft Corporation DAVID LIDDLE, U.S. Venture Partners DAVID E. SHAW, D.E. Shaw Research ALFRED Z. SPECTOR, Google, Inc. JOHN STANKOVIC, University of Virginia JOHN SWAINSON, Silver Lake Partners PETER SZOLOVITS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology PETER J. WEINBERGER, Google, Inc. ERNEST J. WILSON, University of Southern California KATHERINE YELICK, University of California, Berkeley Staff JON EISENBERG, Director RENEE HAWKINS, Financial and Administrative Manager HERBERT S. LIN, Chief Scientist LYNETTE I. MILLETT, Senior Program Officer EMILY ANN MEYER, Program Officer VIRGINIA BACON TALATI, Associate Program Officer ENITA A. WILLIAMS, Associate Program Officer SHENAE BRADLEY, Senior Program Assistant ERIC WHITAKER, Senior Program Assistant For more information on CSTB, see its web site at http://www.cstb.org, write to CSTB, National Research Council, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washing- ton, DC 20001, call (202) 334-2605, or e-mail the CSTB at [email protected]. vi Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability Preface Computer science and information technologies offer a wide range of tools for examining sustainability challenges. Advances in computer science have already provided environmental and sustainability research- ers with a valuable tool set—computational modeling, data management, sensor technology, machine learning, and other tools—and additional research in computer science may provide advanced approaches, tools, techniques, and strategies toward understanding, addressing, and com- municating sustainability challenges. The present study emerged from an informal request to the National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) from the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, National Science Foundation (NSF). The project was funded by the National Science Foundation. The statement of task for the Com- mittee on Computing Research for Environmental and Societal Sustain- ability, established by the National Research Council to carry out this study, is as follows: Computing has many potential “green” applications including improv- ing energy conservation, enhancing energy management, reducing car- bon emissions in many sectors, improving environmental protection (including mitigation and adaptation to climate change), and increasing awareness of environmental challenges and responses. An ad hoc com- mittee would plan and conduct a public workshop to survey sustainabil- ity challenges, current research initiatives, results from previously-held topical workshops, and related industry and government development vii Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Computing Research for Sustainability viii PREFACE efforts in these areas. The workshop would feature invited presentations and discussions that explore research themes and specific research op- portunities that could advance sustainability objectives and also result in advances in computer