Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

6. Software Efficiency and Sustainability

6.1 Most GitHub users were already aware that writing more efficient software can reduce its environmental impact.

Seven in ten respondents (70%) say they were at least “somewhat aware” before taking the survey that writing more efficient software can reduce its environmental impact, including 35% who say they were “very aware” and 35% who say they were “somewhat aware.” Twenty eight percent say they were “not really aware” (19%) or “not at all aware” (9%).6.2 Most GitHub users are interested in tools, practices, and measurement for reducing software’s environmental footprint.

Eight in ten respondents (80%) say they are either “very” (43%) or “somewhat” (37%) interested in using tools that help them write more energy-efficient code. Similar shares are interested in learning best practices for reducing the environmental footprint of software (78%) and measuring the environmental impact of their software or development process (74%). Seven in ten (70%) are interested in contributing to open source projects focused on sustainability.