In an effort to close that gap, the UN-led Race to Zero initiative is pushing financial, educational, and community organizations, corporations, and regions to make the commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
When something is net-zero, it means that no new emissions are emitted into the atmosphere. The atmosphere will continue to release emissions, but they will be balanced by the absorption of an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. By ensuring that no more greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere than are eliminated by the deadline, it suggests that anybody who participates in the campaign promises to do nothing to contribute to global warming. To stop climate change, the entire world economy has to fast transition to renewable energy, and Google Cloud will be at the forefront of this movement.
What part does Google play in environmental matters?
Google Has High Expectations Regarding Water Scarcity
All types and sizes of businesses should take climate change seriously. Google has a long history of renewable energy, and in 2007 it became the first major company to reach carbon neutrality. Google was the first firm of this size to meet all of its electricity needs with renewable energy in 2017. Since we have been doing this for a while, Google Cloud is the only major cloud provider that has acquired enough renewable energy to run our entire business.
By 2030, Google hopes to be the first big company to operate entirely on carbon-free energy, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This implies that all emails, searches, YouTube videos, Google Maps routes, and work done on Google Cloud will be powered by data centers that are fueled by renewable energy sources, around-the-clock, every day of the week.
Apart from carbon-free energy, Google has disclosed further endeavors to protect vital water resources. Google uses water to cool its three data centers, which are located in regions of the nation that are experiencing drought. To quench its thirst, the company plans to replenish 120 percent of the water it uses by 2030. Google has pledged to return more water than it uses in order to support water security in the regions where it operates, as water scarcity becomes an increasingly serious worry in the drought-stricken western United States.
Declarations Or Commitments?
Google’s ongoing efforts to conserve water are supported by an emphasis on “technical advances” and a circular economy theory. The corporation outlined how it is reducing its global environmental footprint in its Environmental Report 2020, which was released in early March.
Google provided three strategies for accomplishing the water-saving objective.
- It was sharing its technology as a tool to identify and prevent water stress;
- It was working with communities to enhance the health of the watershed; and
- It conserved water in its operations.
Why did Google decide to take this action?
The South Carolina data center and the Arizona data center, which the firm is planning, have angered the local communities. Locals were worried that Google will utilize an excessive amount of their water resources. A historically severe drought is already causing severe water restrictions for farmers in Arizona. Over 93% of California, including Google’s headquarters, is affected by a severe drought due to climate change, according to the US Drought Monitor.
Fact: Google’s water usage for data centers and other purposes more than doubled from 2.5 billion to 5 billion gallons between 2016 and 2019.
Google needs to consume less power in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially considering its commitment to solving climate change. The business now has to ensure that it is not wasting excessive amounts of water. Google uses its cooling systems to pump water, which lowers the quantity of water used in its data centers. In these regions, attempts have also been made to use treated wastewater and seawater.
World Water Watch.
We need worldwide water data to solve the issue. Together with its partners World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wide Fund (WWF), the Dutch research organization Deltares has received funding support from Google.org to develop an app that will provide high-resolution, near-real-time water data globally. Both locally and nationally, the Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer tool will document changes in surface water over time.
In order to empower underserved communities and guarantee that everyone has access to opportunities, the goal is to combine funding, creativity, and technical know-how to address some of humanity’s most serious issues.
Holding Each Person Responsible
Holding Google and other big businesses responsible for their promises will be the last piece of the jigsaw. Big players must at least disclose their progress toward their objectives, even though small businesses may not always have the time, resources, or experience to dedicate to this—primarily while concentrating on recovering from the epidemic.
What Information Can Google Teach Others?
Google will have a difficult time accomplishing the aforementioned goals. Still, the internet behemoth has been dubbed a “trendsetter” in terms of climate action, and plenty more companies are anticipated to follow suit. In 2007, Google became the first major company to reach carbon neutrality. At the moment, Google Cloud is the only major cloud provider that has sufficient renewable energy to power our entire business. All businesses, regardless of size, can prioritize the fight against climate change by taking basic steps.
In addition to benefiting the environment, companies who emphasize climate change will probably have a competitive advantage over those that ignore it. Google is therefore creating tools and products to assist users in becoming more aware of and reducing their carbon footprint.
Pichai stated. “We can set an example even though we are just one minor player in this.”
H/T : Ozzackk.com
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