What’s the Big Deal?
Over the last five years, Google’s emissions have risen by 48%! Why? Because Google had been constructing more and more data centers. These are like huge brains that enable all the awesome things you experience on the internet and artificial intelligence, AI. However, these big brains require a lot of power supply and this results in pollution of the environment.
Numbers, Numbers Everywhere!
In the year 2023 Google’s pollution index was as high as 14. Reported CO2 emissions were equal to 3 million tonnes. And worryingly, they have pumped out nearly 50% more emissions than they did in 2019, before the pandemic. If you compare it with last year, it has increased by 13%.
The Big Challenge
Google is fully aware that this is a major concern. These have moved in to admit that lowering emissions while expanding their AI technology is like — near impossible! Replying to this, Kate Brandt, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer noted that they are still on course to achieve its goal of attaining “net zero” emissions by the year 2030. But “net zero” is like the ultimate fairy dust: it means that the quantity of carbon that they pour into the atmosphere is equivalent to the quantity they are able to remove.
They have continued to sign power purchase agreements for cleaner energy to assist and it has been a process. Moreover, all other tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft etc., are also suffering from the same problem. For example, while Microsoft’s emissions have risen by a third since 2020, the company has yet to reduce its impact beyond compliance. Yikes!
The AI Angle
A number of people, including the technologist billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also believe that the solution to climate issues is possible through AI. However, the current process of AI system construction means the consumption of a great amount of energy, which in turn leads to increased emissions.
Energy Woes
Another challenge is energy. Two years down the line; experts argue that AI is capable of increasing the demand for electricity by a rate of two folds. The city is like a power plant, one outlet won’t cut it! Google’s own report demonstrated that 37% of energy related emissions increase within just a one-year period. This mostly originated from the energy required for their data centers which accounted for a fourth of their overall outputs.
The Supply Chain Story
The company’s emissions are still relatively moderate and distributed as follows: the largest 75% is created by Google’s supply chain. This ranges from structures, to transportation means and even the containers used for shipping. And guess what? They are also on the increase, something that we can attribute to the increasing use of AI and the additional infrastructure that it requires.
A Rocky Road Ahead
Google has serious goals for becoming a net zero emissions company and to deliver carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030. However, 2023 turned out to be nothing but unkind to the duo. On this, some clean energy projects were pulled out, which implies that it was challenging to source adequate renewables. Also, its data centres are consuming more electricity than what they are able to off-set through reinvestment into clean energy sources.
The Water Factor
And it’s not just about electricity. Google’s data centers used 17% more water in 2023 compared to the previous year.
