Two industries in this value chain are seeing particularly rapid decarbonization due to an intense focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy.ĭata centers: The latest research shows that the energy intensity of global data centers has decreased by 20% annually since 2010, a notable improvement compared with recent annual efficiency gains in other major demand sectors (e.g., aviation and industry), which are an order of magnitude lower 5. smart technologies and control systems to minimize industrial and built environment emissions, real-time load balancing to maximize renewables use on grids, smart mobility and logistics, etc.)Ģ. This will likely be achieved in part through 'the enabling effect' of ICT 4 to drive decarbonization of carbon-intensive industries (e.g. We are committed as a sector to work across the value chain to reduce these emissions because climate change has reached such crisis proportions, and thus calls for an "all-of-society approach" (UN Environment Programme). The energy consumption of data centers and networks is currently about 2-3% of global electricity consumption, driving 0.6% of total GHG emissions. Summary of Key Takeaways from DIMPACT’s Literature Reviewġ. Jonathan Koomey, Jens Malmodin, along with companies including BT, Orange, TalkTalk, BBC, Spotify and Netflix 3 to produce a new Literature Review and Policy Principles for Streaming and Digital Media Carbon Footprinting. To enable evidence-based policymaking, worked with its academic advisors Dr. Decarbonizing internet services requires concerted efforts across all four industries, especially device manufacturers, as the Carbon Trust study showed that devices within the home drive almost 90% of emissions 2. While the Carbon Trust study helped answer the trending question back in 2021, "how much does video streaming impact the environment?" it didn’t answer the next logical question, " what should we do about that environmental impact?" That question is of utmost importance to the four industries that contribute to the lifecycle emissions of internet-based services like streaming: 1) data center operators, 2) internet service providers, 3) device manufacturers, and 4) electric utilities. ![]() ![]() With input from the International Energy Agency, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, University of Bristol, and data from BBC, BT, Ericsson, ITV, NENT, Netflix and Sky, they concluded that the average carbon footprint of streaming one hour of video is significantly lower than some had assumed 1, roughly equivalent to three boils of an electric kettle in the UK ( more here ). In 2021, Carbon Trust, one of the world’s most trusted think tanks on product carbon footprinting, produced a white paper called Carbon Impacts of Video Streaming.
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