More than halfA lot of digital data generated by firms is stored, processed, and accessed for single-use purposes. It is rarely re-used. It could be your many identical images stored on Google Photos and iCloud, a company’s old spreadsheets that won’t be used again, data from internet of thing sensors that don’t serve any purpose, or outdated spreadsheets.
This is “Dark dataThe energy it uses anchors us to the real world. Even data that is stored and never used again takes up space on servers – typically huge banks of computers in warehouses. All of those computers and warehouses use There is a lot of electricity.
This is an energy expense that most organizations don’t realize. It is difficult to maintain an organizational memory that is effective, but what does it mean for the environment?
Many companies are striving to lower their carbon footprints in the pursuit of net zero.
The majority of guidance has been focused on reducing traditional sources for carbon production through mechanisms like carbon offset via third parties (for example, planting trees to replace the petrol-emissions).
Digital carbon footprint
Most Climate changeWhile activists are currently focusing their efforts on limiting carbon emissions from the aviation and automotive industries, processing digital data is already being monitored. Similar to these industriesIt is growing.
It was predicted that digitization would generate a new generation of jobs in 2020. Global greenhouse gas emissions account for 4 percent. Production of digital data is increasing fast – this year the world is expected to generate 97 zettabytes (that is: 97 trillion gigabytes) of data. By 2025, it could nearly double. 181 zettabytes.
It is not surprising, therefore, that so little attention has been paid to reducing the digital carbon footprints of organizations.
We often hear people assume that digitization and digital data are carbon neutral. But that is not necessarily the case – we are in control of its carbon footprint for better or worse.
This idea has been introduced to help reduce our carbon footprint.digital decarbonization“. We don’t mean to use phones, computers, sensors, or other digital technologies to lower an organization’s carbon footprint. Instead, we mean reducing the carbon footprint for digital data.
It is important to realize that digitization is not an environmental problem in and of itself, but that there are significant environmental impacts due to how digital processes are used in everyday workplace activities.
Data centers, which are responsible for 2.5 percent of human-caused carbon dioxide (the dark data situation) serve as an illustration of the severity of the problem. Carbon footprints that are greaterCompared to the 2.1% in the aviation industry
We have created a tool to help you calculate this. Carbon cost of dataAn organization.
Our calculations show that a typical data-driven company such as banking, insurance, retail or banking with 100 employees might produce 2,983 gigabytes per day. If that data were kept for a year, it would leave a similar carbon footprint as six trips from London to New York.
Current production is by companies 1300,000,000 gigabytes dark data per day – that’s 3,023,255 flights from London to New York.
The rapid growth in dark data raises serious questions about current digital practices. A study published in the Journal of Business StrategyWe identified ways organizations could reuse digital data. Additionally, we highlighted paths that organizations should follow when collecting and processing new digital data.
This will help reduce dark data production, and it will also contribute to the digital descarbonization movement. If net zero is to become a reality, we all must engage with this movement.
Even better, you can start by making a list of the photos and videos that you don’t need. Each file saved on Google Photos or Apple iCloud adds to your digital footprint.
Tom JacksonProfessor of Information and Knowledge Management Loughborough University Ian R. HodgkinsonProfessor of Strategy. Loughborough University
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