Industry tracker Gartner made it official Tuesday, declaring that the use of everything from PCs to cellphones pumps out as much carbon dioxide as the aviation industry.
As it pumps out many more gadgets, the consumer-electronics industry is starting to attract the kind of scrutiny typically reserved for oil companies and mining firms.
Utilities have bought more than 1, 500 pieces of equipment, from emergency diesel generators to sump pumps and satellite phones, Pollock said, and the industry is setting up two regional response centers in Memphis and Phoenix.