Green bytes - uncovering the hidden environmental cost of our digital world
Our quest for knowledge has led to an alarming insight: it is harming the environment.
According to the World Economic Forum, since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, investment in artificial intelligence (AI) has grown eight-fold. This investment has seen the increase in the physical infrastructure needed to support these emerging technologies, including servers and energy-generation plants.
While big data provides transformative opportunities, it also poses environmental challenges. Data centres, which are essential for storing and processing vast amounts of information, contribute up to 2% of global greenhouse- gas emissions and could account for up to 4% of global electricity consumption by 2030. Therefore, there is an urgent need for digital decarbonisation efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of data storage and processing.
Research by Professor Hanlie Smuts of the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology at the University of Pretoria (UP) reveals that effective data management should be a key focus of these efforts.
'By managing data properly, organisations can use technologies like AI and machine-learning to support sustainability goals, particularly those related to clean energy (Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] 7) and reduced carbon emissions (SDG 13).'
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Organisations should also adopt green information technology strategies, including e-waste management, energy- efficient data centres, green procurement, dark data management and sustainable software development. One specific challenge is dark data – information that organisations collect and store but do not actively use or analyse. This data is often unstructured (such as emails, outdated documents and logs), leading to inefficient storage practices and increased energy consumption.
'Organisations must unlock the value of dark data by using advanced technologies like AI and machine-learning to extract insights,' Prof Smuts says.
Head of the Department of Informatics at UP, Professor Hanlie Smuts Head of the Department of Informatics at University of Pretoria
Image: Supplied
In short, use it or lose it. However, technology alone is insufficient.
'A holistic approach is needed; this includes strategies to identify and analyse dark data, implement retention and destruction policies, enhance data science skills, and embed dark data analytics into business processes,' she adds.
In the face of rapid digitalisation, can businesses achieve the SDGs?
'Sustainability requires embedding environmental, social and governance principles into strategies,' Prof Smuts says. 'While applying technologies like AI and machine-learning, predictive analytics and the internet of things are key to meeting stakeholder expectations; these technologies must also address environmental challenges by reducing carbon footprints. Thus, integrating data management with advanced technologies supports digital decarbonisation while transforming data into actionable insights that align with sustainability objectives.'
Dark data – which is underutilised yet valuable – can uncover opportunities to cut emissions and drive sustainability when integrated into robust data management strategies. Addressing dark data enhances governance, ensuring all data supports green initiatives while creating organisational value. By fostering knowledge-sharing and collaboration, organisations can tap into collective intelligence to innovate solutions that promote digital decarbonisation.
Organisations can derive substantial value from data by leveraging it for digital decarbonisation.
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