Methodology Selection for the Measurement of the Carbon Footprint in The ICT Field in Colombia

Today, continuous technological development makes life easier in many ways. However, the processes involved necessary for the use of technology sometimes go unnoticed by the end-user. Some of these processes have an environmental impact that needs to be avoided in some way. This article addresses the most representative methodologies used to quantify greenhouse gas emissions, intending to select a methodology for measuring the carbon footprint in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The selection is made with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is considered a robust mathematical technique in the field of multi-criteria decision making. The results show that the main criteria involved in the selection process were divided into four contexts: technological, economic, geopolitical, and environmental. After evaluating the methodologies and criteria, the GHG protocol is the methodology that has the best performance, followed by Bilan Carbon and PAS 2050. We consider this study as the starting point to be used as a way to encourage environmental conservation in the Colombia ICT field.