AI Is Shattering Hope of a Net Zero Future [video](youtube.com) |
AI Is Shattering Hope of a Net Zero Future [video](youtube.com) |
By contrast there are 25000 civil aircraft in services, none of them are or could be powered by renewables, and every single one of them uses as much energy as a cloud datacenter. If anyone thought we were going "net zero" with all these airplanes they were mistaken.
Speed and scale has a good breakdown: https://speedandscale.com/tracker/
Plus most new AI datacenters are trying to go pure nuclear wherever possible
Or that we need to cut back on air travel while also reducing CO2 emissions from data centers, with more emphasis on cutting back on air travel?
Do you have a source for that? In 2022, 64% of Google's data center energy was carbon free [1]. I was not able to find similar numbers for Microsoft or Amazon, but they have significant green energy investments as well [2][3].
My perception is that Google is the leader in this space but I don't have data to back that up.
[1] https://sustainability.google/progress/energy/
[2] https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/explore/global-infrastruct...
This video is just another degrowther canard.
All I see is a hope for net zero future, and nowhere that we were on a path to net zero.
No additional regulations on tech and energy use? Continued subsidizes for oil and gas extraction? Nothing at all until someone cracks carbon capture?
Because it seems like hoping for a Hail Mary is either very optimistic or so pessimistic that you've given up.
I said we can't solve net zero until we solve economically sustainable carbon capture, nothing about sticking heads in the sand.
My opinions of each solution you proposed depends on the details. For example it's easy for me to say yeah no subsidies for oil and gas extraction, but if Texas wants to subsidize it locally as a net boost to their economy then I have no influence over that and it's a waste of my time and skills to spend any time trying to prevent that, especially because I don't live in Texas.
And if anything I'm advocating for more people to work on economically viable carbon capture, not for us to do nothing.
So my answer in all cases is going to be some version of "spend your time working the problem from wherever you get the most leverage".
There is a question about the sustainability of consumer electronic devices but that's a whole different can of worms. As an aside, I appreciate how Apple pioneered long support commitments in phones.
[1] https://www.statista.com/chart/18819/worldwide-market-share-...
Source is Google’s 2024 Environmental Report at https://sustainability.google/reports/google-2024-environmen...
"In 2023, our total GHG emissions increased 13% year-over-year, partially driven by a 37% year-over-year increase in our Scope 2 (market-based) emissions."
I see it uses "Carbon removal credits to neutralize our residual emissions". I think carbon credits are a scam. Just like how using 1 GWhr of power in the US while buying 1 GWhr of power in New Zealand, and calling that 100% renewable energy purchasing, would also be a scam.
In any case, suppose it was all 100% clean energy all throughout, with no carbon credits at all.
What that means is that Google can use it's monopoly/market dominance to outbid other users.
What, you can't afford clean power at the rate that Google can pay, so you've got to run your CPAP machine on fossil fuels? You should be ashamed of ruining the planet like that.
The terms 'using more carbon-free power' and 'using more fossil power' are not exclusive.
Their CO2 emissions are increasing, and that's all that matters.