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The IT industry has transformed our world, promising a future where the Internet would “dematerialise” society, reducing physical infrastructure and energy consumption. Contrary to these early projections, IT has become a significant and rapidly growing consumer of energy, contributing substantially to global carbon emissions and CO2 footprints.
Data centers, which are the backbone of our digital world, consume vast amounts of energy. The continuous growth in data generation and the need for instant, reliable access to information have only escalated this consumption. In 2020, data centers alone accounted for about 1% of global electricity demand, a figure expected to rise significantly with the rise of technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). This increase in energy consumption directly translates to higher carbon emissions, challenging the notion that digitalisation inherently promotes sustainability.
Businesses are becoming more aware of their role in addressing climate change. According to a survey highlighted by Climate Action Tech, a significant number of companies are now prioritising environmental responsibility in their operations. Some examples of this are the Sustainability Pledges published by Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but tech giants are not the only entities that are setting targets to mitigate their environmental impact. Generally, a reduction of 50% by 2030 from a recent baseline is a common target for many organisations.
Some organisations are developing frameworks for assessing and reporting environmental costs. One example of this is the Sustainable Web Manifesto, developed by Wholegrain Digital, that includes measures like optimising code to reduce server loads, using green hosting services and improving the energy efficiency of data centers. Pau&Company signed this Manifesto and has included this and other guidelines in its IT Environmental Audit service.
