The new report by Italian intelligence services also focuses on climate change and its impacts on migration and domestic security.
Viral cat videos (among others) pollute like airplanes
Datacentres would be responsible for 2% of the greenhouse gas emissions globally, data show.
Watching an episode of your favourite series on Netflix, reading an online newspaper, or downloading apps for your smartphone could seem innocent actions. Yet, they contribute to significantly pollute the atmosphere.
Datacentres driving the increasing use of digital services are responsible for about 2% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, about the same of air travel.
Alongside requiring large amounts of power, datacentres generate high levels of heat, thus requiring lots of energy to keep them cool.
That’s why big companies started localising their servers in areas characterised by cold climates. Facebook, for example, built a server farm in Luleå, Sweden, where the average temperature is 2°C.
The impact of our daily Internet browsing has a relatively minuscule impact. Google has calculated that each search on its website generates 0.2 grams of CO2, whilst the use of Gmail for a year produces 1.2 kilogrammes per user. On the contrary, watching a YouTube video, for example of kittens, produces 1 gram of CO2 every 10 minutes.
Facebook carried out a similar calculation, showing that an average user produces about 269 grams of CO2 each year, i.e. the environmental impact of a cup of coffee. However, the number of users is constantly growing and, by consequence, emissions too. For instance, Google has produced 1,766,014 tonnes of CO2 in 2013.
The main problem is represented by the frenetic speed datacentres are growing. “It’s an exponential growth in data,” said Sophia Flucker, director at Operational Intelligence, a UK-based consultancy that advises datacentres on their energy use. “Although IT efficiency is improving, and we can do more with less power, the demand is still there.”
Improving datacentres performances would represent a first step, but it’s not enough. Thus, for this industry, shifting to clean energy, such as wind and solar power, becomes essential.
“If they’re built in the right way, it could be a great story and help the transition to renewable energy. If they’re built in the wrong way, it’s going to take us in the other direction, and increase our dependence on the sources of energy we have to move away from to address climate change,” said Gary Cook, senior IT analyst at Greenpeace.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
From Verona to Taormina, from Bosa to Ravello: a small guide for a sustainable slow tourism.
In Europe, damages have exceeded €800 billion in 40 years. Without adaptation, we risk losing 7 per cent of GDP.
The oil giant TotalEnergies must defend itself against accusations of failing to take into account the climate consequences resulting from the use of its products.
US President Donald Trump has lifted fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
From Australia to the United States, from Chile to Mozambique, and from Russia to Argentina, many countries are grappling with extreme weather conditions.
A report by Ember explains that in 2025 electricity generation from renewables (solar, wind and hydropower) surpassed that from fossil fuel sources.
The Tyler Prize, considered the “Nobel Prize for the Environment,” has been awarded to Toby Kiers, an American biologist working in Amsterdam.
Belgium is one of the countries most exposed to climate change. Dune–dikes are a solution to curb sea-level rise.