Data storage now accounts for more carbon emissions than the commercial airline industry – and a single data centre uses the same amount of electricity that can power up to 50,000 homes. 1 gigabyte of the cloud uses around seven kilowatts of electricity per hour.
One of the biggest contributors to the data storage industry is the energy consumption of data centres, which are the physical locations where data is stored and processed.
These centres require a lot of energy to power the servers, cooling systems, and other infrastructure that is necessary for data storage. In addition to the energy consumption of data centres, the manufacturing of hardware and transportation of data can also contribute to the carbon footprint of the industry.
Device usage can also add to emissions so what can you do to reduce your digital carbon footprint?
1. Avoid duplication of files
Save your files centrally to a cloud-based drive when working on documents with other people, this is often more convenient too as you can work on the same document at the same time!
2. Send a link to people rather than attach a file in an email
A document shared with 5 people by email and held for 3 years in their mailboxes generating around 1.8g of CO2e. Sending a link generates just 0.36g.
3. Use encryption sparingly
Encrypting and decrypting data causes the server to carry out more work and consume more power. Only encrypt data that requires it for security reasons.
4. Keep the number of images in a document to a minimum
Reducing the number and resolution of the images will reduce the size of the file and thus consume less power when loading the page.
5. Download your films and TV shows over video streaming
Streaming requires continuous data transmission, which can put strain on servers and require significant energy resources, especially for high-definition content. On the contrary, downloading requires energy for initial file transfer and storage but may consume less energy during playback since the content is stored locally.
6. Use your devices for longer
You don't always need the most modern up-to-date tech. Avoid buying new technology regularly, keep your devices for as long as possible before replacing them.
7. Play songs as audio files rather than streaming
Like video, downloading the files to play them is much less energy-intensive.
8. Empty your email box regularly to reduce data storage
Often we have newsletters, company-wide emails and spam emails clogging up our personal and company inboxes. This is a quick and easy way to reduce our digital carbon footprint. Unsubscribing to those you no longer need will save you the regular clearing task!
9. Changing your phone to dark mode
This simply change can reduce your phone-related emissions by up to 63%!
10. Buy refurbished technology rather than brand new
Companies often refurbish technology and sell it for a reduced price. These products are as good as new and reduce your digital carbon footprint as they are secondhand!
11. Minimise background apps, data usage and cloud storage
12. Try and connect to WIFI rather than using cellular data