Green information technology can be one of the world’s strongest assets in achieving and sustaining a prosperous, low-carbon economy, Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell told attendees gathered at today’s FORTUNE Brainstorm: GREEN.

“Ten years from now, we will look back and credit ‘green’ IT for helping to mitigate the effects posed by climate change, strengthen global industries and chart a new and prosperous low-carbon economy,” said Mr. Dell. “It’s a historic opportunity that we must act on now.”

Mr. Dell spoke at the magazines first-ever event dedicated to ‘green’ topics and trends, part of the 39th annual Earth Day festivities taking place around the world. At the event, Mr. Dell previewed the company’s smallest and most environmentally-responsible consumer desktop PC. Scheduled to be released later this year, the computer is approximately 81 percent smaller than a standard mini-tower desktop, uses up to 70 percent less energy and comes in recycled and recyclable packaging. Since 2005, the company’s client desktop systems alone have helped customers save more than $2.2 billion and avoid approximately 22.4 million tons of CO2.

A recent study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that information technology is already providing the U.S. economy energy savings. According to the study, for every one kilowatt-hour of electricity used by IT, ten kilowatt-hours of electricity are saved. This includes IT-enabled benefits such as virtualization, energy-efficient computing, telecommuting and online transactions.

“Connecting with customers, employees and suppliers means understanding and sharing their commitment to green ideas and innovation,” said Mr. Dell. “Today, I’m extending my challenge to every technology company to make the environment both a business priority and daily conversation, from energy efficiency and environmentally-responsible products, to carbon neutrality and free recycling for consumers.”