1) Cloud computing energy consumption
The energy consumption of cloud computing is one of the important issues related to the environmental impact of this technology. According to a Bloomberg report in 2020, cloud computing already consumes about 1% of the world's total electricity and is expected to grow to 8% by 2030. Data centers are the energy consumers. largest in the cloud computing ecosystem, as they have to keep millions of servers and network devices up and running. However, cloud computing can also help reduce energy consumption compared to traditional computing systems. According to a study sponsored by Google in 2011, cloud computing can reduce energy consumption by up to 87% compared to PCs and local servers. This means that cloud computing can save the amount of energy that could power the city of Los Angeles for a year. Some ways to improve the energy efficiency of cloud computing are:
Use renewable energy sources to power data centers. Many cloud service providers have committed to using 100% renewable energy for their operations, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Use efficient and intelligent cooling systems to reduce heat to servers and other devices. Waterless or low- water cooling methods can be used, such as air cooling, vacuum cooling, or fog cooling.
Use virtualization and edge computing technologies to optimize the use of computing resources. Virtualization allows sharing of computing resources between multiple applications and users, minimizing wasted processing power. Edge computing allows data to be processed close to the source, minimizing data transmission over optical and air cables.
2) Carbon emissions of cloud computing
The carbon emission from cloud computing is one of the important issues related to the environmental impact of this technology. According to a study by the Institute for Global Systems Research (PIK) in 2020, cloud computing
contributed to around 4% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions and is expected to double by 2025. Cloud
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computing's carbon emissions include the production, operation, and disposal of IT equipment; the use of non- renewable energy sources to power data centers; and the transmission of data over optical and air cables. However, cloud computing can also help reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional computer systems. According to a report by Google and WSP Global Inc., cloud computing is 93% more energy efficient and has 98% lower greenhouse gas emissions than local data centers. This means that cloud computing can save the same amount of energy and greenhouse gas emissions as removing 22 million cars from the streets. Some ways to improve the carbon efficiency of cloud computing are:
Use renewable energy sources to power data centers. Many cloud service providers have committed to using 100% renewable energy for their operations, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. This helps reduce dependence on polluting fossil energy sources and encourages the development of green industries.
Use tools to measure and report your cloud's carbon emissions. Many cloud service providers already provide tools for customers to track and reduce the carbon footprint associated with the use of their products and services, such as Google Cloud Carbon Footprint, Microsoft Azure Sustainability Calculator, and Amazon
Sustainability Data Initiative. This helps increase transparency and accountability for the environmental impact of cloud computing.
3) Water use of cloud computing
Water use of cloud computing is one of the important issues related to the environmental impact of this technology.
According to a report by Greenpeace in 2019, cloud computing consumed about 198 billion liters of water in the world in 2018 and is expected to increase to 314 billion liters by 2020. Data centers are the consumers. largest water users in the cloud computing ecosystem, as they must use cooling systems to reduce heat to servers and other devices. Many data centers are built in areas with water shortages or difficulties with water management. However, cloud computing can also help reduce water usage compared to traditional computer systems. According to a report by Google and WSP Global Inc., cloud computing is 93% more energy efficient and has 98% lower greenhouse gas emissions than
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local data centers. This means that cloud computing can save the same amount of energy and greenhouse gas emissions as removing 22 million cars from the streets. Some ways to improve the water efficiency of cloud computing are:
Use renewable energy sources to power data centers. Many cloud service providers have committed to using 100% renewable energy for their operations, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. This helps reduce dependence on polluting fossil energy sources and encourages the development of green industries.
Use efficient and intelligent cooling systems to reduce heat to servers and other devices. Waterless or low- water cooling methods can be used, such as air cooling, vacuum cooling, or fog cooling.
Use tools to measure and report on cloud water usage. Many cloud service providers have provided tools for customers to monitor and reduce the amount of water associated with the use of their products and services, such as Google Cloud Water Footprint, Microsoft Azure Water Efficiency Calculator, and Amazon Water
Sustainability Data Initiative. This helps increase transparency and accountability for the environmental impact of cloud computing.
4) Electronic garbage of cloud computing
The e-waste of cloud computing is one of the important issues related to the environmental impact of this technology.
According to a report by Greenpeace in 2019, cloud computing generated about 50 million tons of e-waste in the world in 2018 and is expected to increase to 120 million tons by 2050. Cloud computing's electronic waste sources include the disposal of used or broken IT equipment in data centers; the replacement of old IT equipment with new, more efficient ones; and the use of personal devices to access cloud services. E-waste has many harmful effects on the environment and human health, such as polluting the air, water, and soil; causing consumption of rare and precious natural resources; and causing poisoning to live organisms due to the presence of toxic substances such as mercury, lead, and cadmium. However, cloud computing can also help reduce e-waste compared to traditional computer systems. According to a report by Google and WSP Global Inc., cloud computing is 93% more energy efficient and has
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98% lower greenhouse gas emissions than local data centers. This means that cloud computing can save as much energy and greenhouse gas emissions as removing 22 million cars from the streets. Some ways to improve the e- waste efficiency of cloud computing are:
- Use methods of recycling or reusing used or damaged IT equipment. Valuable components or materials from IT equipment can be recycled to produce new products. IT equipment can be reused for different purposes, like education, charity, or research.
- Use cloud computing e-waste efficiency standards or certificates. E-waste management standards or
certifications can be applied to cloud service providers and their customers, such as ISO 14001, e-Stewards, or R2. This helps increase transparency and accountability for the environmental impact of cloud computing.
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