Towards low carbon universities in Nigeria: Agenda for green information technology

Abstract

Over the years, so many efforts have been put in place towards achieving environmental sustainability. The international community has presented many models and frameworks aimed at creating sustainability awareness and cleaner productions among nations. Research concepts, policies, and technologies designed to foster the production of goods and services that conform to the standards of environmental sustainability were offered for consideration and use. However, the pace at which individuals and organisations adopt environmental sustainability policies differ across countries. Increase e-waste from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming an important environmental issue that requires urgent attention. To control the ICT e-waste, production of environmentally friendly ICT known as Green Information Technology (Green IT) and their use among individuals and organisations should be encouraged. While the adoption of Green IT in organisations has been partly considered by researchers, its adoption among individuals has largely been overlooked. In Nigeria, the university communities represent the best place for promoting and enshrining the environmental sustainability policies being home to youth who are likely to be more conscious to issues related to sustainable environment. This paper provides a framework for understanding and explaining the individual adoption of Green IT. An extensive literature review was carried out and an Integrated Model of Green IT adoption (IMGITA) in Nigeria is presented. The paper recommends the adoption of IMGITA in Nigerian universities that will facilitate green policies to enhance the low carbon development among Nigerians.