Johnson called the Garnaut review a call to action for the IT industry, not only in reducing its own environmental impact, but also in aiding other sectors driven by technology.

"Everybody will want to manage their numbers and their environment as best as they can, and you absolutely need IT for that -- you aren't going to do it with a paper and pencil...

According to reports, in Australia the biggest polluter is the coal fired electricity generation industry, which is about 80 percent of the problem. The second biggest area is transport at around 15 percent. .

"With transport, for example, the IT industry can help in many ways, particularly by telecommuting. You set up people with VPNs and give them the IT infrastructure to work from anywhere. Upwards of a third of people do that anyway but we think it can be extended," he said.

Fadi Geha, vice president for carbon management solution provider Carbonview, agreed that the innovation technologies IT provides and underpins is crucial to fighting greenhouse emissions. He echoed Johnson's prediction that the Garnaut Review and emissions reporting schemes will light a fire under CIO's proverbial derrières.