Green IO What the Research Says About Green IT Solutions, with Gauthier Roussilhe | #75
Mar 10, 2026
Gauthier Roussilhe, researcher and Head of R&D at Hubblo focused on digital sustainability, breaks down why IT-for-green claims need careful reading. He explores remote work’s modest climate gains, the surprising limits of office energy savings, dynamic line rating benefits, rebound effects, and why context shapes whether tech truly helps the transition.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Question The 1-to-10 Tech Handprint Claim
- Industry claims that "1 ton emitted = 10 tons avoided" are methodologically flawed and often unsupported.
- Gauthier Roussilhe audited major industry reports (GSMA, GSI) and found problematic appendices and allocation choices driving those ratios.
Use Consequential Analysis For Territory Level Assessments
- Consequential analysis is the right framing to assess IT-for-green at territory scale because it models system-level outcomes and long-term consequences.
- The ADEME study used consequential scenarios from 2022 to 2035 across urban-area statistical units to capture evolving context.
Always Build A Realistic Reference Scenario
- Define realistic reference scenarios before estimating avoided emissions; remote working required a 'business-as-remote-working' baseline because telework was already widespread.
- ADEME built massification and reduction scenarios using surveys and employer interviews to bound future telework intensity.