WWhen you picture the tech industry, you probably think of things that don't exist in physical space, like the apps on your phone and the Internet browser. But the infrastructure needed to store all that information — physical data centers located in business parks and on the city's outskirts — consumes huge amounts of energy. Despite its name, the infrastructure used by “the cloud” causes more global greenhouse emissions than commercial flights. For example, in 2018, the 5bn YouTube stream for the viral song Despacito used as much energy as it would take to heat 40,000 US homes annually.
This is the most environmentally destructive aspect of the tech industry. While it has played a major role in reaching net zero by providing us with smart meters and efficient solar energy, It is very important that we shed light on its environmental impact. Large language models such as ChatGPT are among the most dynamic technologies. Research shows, for example, that about 700,000 liters of water could have been used to cool the machines that trained ChatGPT-3 in Microsoft's data facilities. It's hardly news that the tech bubble's self-glorification has obscured the industry's uglier aspects, from tax evasion to its invasion of privacy and exploitation of our attention spans. The industry's environmental impact is a key issue, yet the companies that make such models have been unusually tight-lipped about their energy consumption – perhaps because they don't want to raise our concerns.
Google's ambitious plans for a global data center and a new AI research supercluster (RSC) from Meta further highlight the energy intensity of the industry, raising concerns that these facilities could significantly increase energy consumption. Additionally, as these companies aim to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, they will also be renovating their data centers Areas with cheap electricity, such as South America, are likely to exacerbate water consumption problems in drier parts of the world. Before making big announcements, tech companies should be transparent about the resource usage required for their expansion plans.
Additionally, while minerals such as lithium and cobalt are mostly associated with batteries in the motor sector, they are also important for batteries used in data centers. Extraction processes often involve significant water use and can lead to pollution, compromising water security. The extraction of these minerals is often associated with human rights abuses and poor labor standards. Striving to achieve a climate goal of limiting our dependence on fossil fuels Another goal may be compromised, that of ensuring that everyone has a safe and accessible water supply.
Moreover, when there are significant energy resources. Dedicated to tech-related efforts, it can lead to energy shortages for essential needs such as residential power supply. Recent figures from the UK show that the country's aging electricity network is holding back affordable housing projects. This will get worse as households move away from using fossil fuels and become more dependent on electricity, putting further pressure on the national grid. In Bicester, for example, plans to build 7,000 new homes were put on hold because the electricity network did not have enough capacity.
In an era where we expect businesses to do more than just make a profit for their shareholders, governments need to evaluate the organizations they fund and partner with, based on Will their actions lead to concrete gains for people and the planet? In other words, policy needs to be designed not to pick sectors or technologies as “winners”, but to provide support that is contingent on companies moving in the right direction. Disclosing environmental practices and impacts for government support can ensure greater transparency and accountability. Similar initiatives can promote corporate accountability in global mineral supply chains, enforcing greater compliance with human rights..
In navigating the intersection of technological progress and environmental sustainability, policymakers face the challenge of cultivating less extractive business models. It's not just about adopting a piecemeal approach. It is about taking a comprehensive systematic approach, empowering governments to build the necessary planning and implementation capacity. Such an approach should avoid outdated top-down approaches in favor of flexible strategies that integrate knowledge at all levels, from the local to the global. Only by adopting a holistic approach can we effectively reduce the significant environmental impact of the tech industry.
Ultimately, despite an unprecedented wave of innovation since the 1990s, we have consistently ignored the impact of these developments on the climate crisis. As climate scientists predict that global warming will exceed the 1.5C target, it is time to look at today's grand challenges systemically, so that solutions to one problem do not exacerbate another.