Addressing the Environmental
Toll of Cloud Computing,
AI & Data Centers

The environmental problems of online computing can no longer be an afterthought.

The world’s online computing may seem sustainable, but behind the scenes there is a very real environmental impact. The data centers where our computing really happens consume vast amounts of power and emit more and more greenhouse gases from power generation, with carbon emissions that are unhealthy to breathe and cause climate impacts. Data center cooling systems use up considerable but unquantified amounts of water. They affect the water supplies of nearby communities and create power grid concerns while climate and e-waste problems worsen. The explosive growth of AI is adding further fuel to the fire.

Most organizations don’t take into consideration the energy consumption and environmental harm of their computing decisions. But every company’s IT activity takes a bite from the world’s scarce resources. We face environmental and business risks, yet we lack awareness of the connection between the environment and online—or “cloud”—computing.

We promote an urgent transition to sustainable cloud computing.

This enormous and growing problem requires attention from those who can reverse it: the cloud computing customers. Companies and governments buy and use cloud computing services to run their computing operations, but don’t yet have adequate awareness and operational visibility into the environmental impact of their decisions. With cloud computing spending projected to grow rapidly, the environmental consequences of inaction will only intensify.

Similarly, the public uses cloud services from tech companies that provide such things as streaming, AI chatbots, shopping, search, and social media. There is little popular awareness of the real-world impacts of virtual activity. This gap between growing usage and missing awareness creates an immense problem for effective action.

Solutions which help to mitigate this harm, such as green software design, streamlined AI use, and greenhouse gas emissions tracking, all exist today. But information technology decision makers must take action to embrace these techniques, slow their companies’ climate impacts. and optimize resource consumption. Often, these techniques help to reduce business expenses too.

Our mission is to help technology professionals take action by providing:

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