You can save the world by doing one small, good deed at a time. Recycle that yoghurt pot, use a cloth not paper towel, avoid cardboard cups, take shorter showers, delete all your sunsets…
This is the message from environmental evangelists. And it’s a lie. The impact of your personal actions on the environment might leave you feeling better, but they will make little difference to the world.
This is why. Things change when systems change. And systems change when government policy changes. Your Cloud piece demonstrates this logic. You deleted a little personal data from the cloud but could not remove yourself without killing your enterprise. And even if you decide to exit entirely, your selfless act will make no difference to the nation’s carbon emissions. Yes, if everyone, including all businesses and state agencies in the USA switched off, there would be fewer emissions, but the victory would be pyrrhic, because the rest of the world would carry on.
The Cloud is here to stay. Like planes, trains and cars, it’s part of human progress and we must manage its drawbacks to continue to enjoy its myriad benefits. How we do that is indeed difficult, as the global community has demonstrated by its inability to combat climate change. We were making some headway in changing our energy systems and when the current generation of geriatric leaders pass, we will get back to the job. We will have no choice because the impacts of climate change will be even more pressing.
For today’s Cloud and the energy-hungry, thirsty data centers that keep it aloft, there is some good news for those, like you Cathy, who worry about their personal contributions to the downsides. The people who own those centers (Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft et al) and thousands of businesses that use them are aware of the issues. As are their lenders, many of whom are backing off because the centers can’t get insurance over their vulnerability to electricity and water shortage (source: FT). Cloud owners know it is in their best interests to find solutions by using low and no-carbon electricity, and to recycle cooling water. They have a long way to go and much of their literature on the subject is PR gush, but they are trying to manage the problem. Go look at their corporate websites.
What can we do?
For us, who enjoy sharing thoughts online, we have the option of taking shorter showers and deleting a few sunsets. But we owe it to ourselves to be honest: those are selfish acts to make us feel better about ourselves. They make no measurable difference to the world.
We should, as Cathy has done, continue to learn how the world works and to use our education and curiosity to make others (fellows, political masters, business leaders…) aware of the issues and to urge those in power to create the policies that bring about positive change. It’s a form of bearing witness. That may sound weak, but what are our options? Jump off the Cloud?