The UN-led Race to Zero program intends to reduce that gap by urging businesses, communities, regions, investors, and financial and educational institutions to commit to attaining net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Net-zero indicates that no additional emissions are released into the environment. Emissions will continue, but they will be offset by absorbing an equal quantity of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It implies that anybody who joins the campaign commits nothing to contribute to global warming by the deadline, guaranteeing that no more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere than are removed. The whole global economy must quickly switch to renewable energy to combat climate change, and Google Cloud will be at the vanguard of this transformation.
What role is Google playing for the Environment?
Climate concerns should get addressed by businesses of all sorts and sizes. Google has a long history with sustainable energy, has become the first big corporation to achieve carbon neutrality in 2007. In 2017, Google became the first company of our scale to use renewable energy to meet 100% of its electrical needs. Today, Google Cloud is the only large cloud provider that has purchased enough renewable energy to power our whole operations, and we’ve been doing it for a long time.
Google wants to be the first large corporation to run on carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year by 2030. It means that every email, search query, YouTube video watched, Google Maps route taken, and work completed on Google Cloud will get powered by data centers that run on renewable energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition to Carbon-free energy, Google has revealed new initiatives to safeguard critical water supplies. Google uses water to chill its data centers, three of which are in drought-stricken areas of the country. The firm intends to restore 120 percent of the water it consumes by 2030 to satiate its thirst. As water scarcity becomes a severe concern in the drought-stricken western United States, Google has committed to giving back more water than it consumes to promote water security in the areas where it operates.
Commitments Or Statements?
Google’s continuing efforts towards water conservation get aided by a circular economy philosophy and an emphasis on “technology improvements.” The company’s Environmental Report 2020, published in early March, details it’s decreasing its worldwide environmental footprint.
Google outlined three tactics for achieving that goal for saving water
- Collaborating with communities to improve watershed health
- Conserving water in its operations
- It was making its technology available as a tool to detect and avoid water stress.
Why Google took this initiative?
Communities around the company’s data center in South Carolina and a new one planned in Arizona have objected. Residents were concerned that Google would use up too much of their water supply. Due to a historically bad drought, Arizona farmers are already experiencing severe water restrictions. According to the US Drought Monitor, a severe drought linked to climate change has captured over 93% of California, including Google’s headquarters.
Fact: From 2016 to 2019, Google’s water withdrawal – for data centers and other activities — more than quadrupled, from 2.5 to 5 billion gallons.
Given Google’s commitment to addressing climate change, it must cut its power use to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. The company must now make sure it is not squandering too much water. Google reduces the amount of water consumed in its data centers by pumping water via its cooling systems. Attempts to utilize seawater and treated wastewater have also been tried in these areas now.
Global Water Watch.
To address the problem, global water data is required. The Dutch research institution Deltares has obtained financial assistance from Google.org to create an app providing worldwide, high-resolution, near-real-time water data, collaborating with its partners World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wide Fund (WWF). The Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer tool will record surface water changes through time on a national and local scale.
The objective is to address some of humanity’s most pressing problems by combining financing, creativity, and technical knowledge to empower neglected areas and ensure that everyone has access to opportunities.
Keeping Everyone Accountable
The final element of the jigsaw will be holding Google and other large corporations accountable for their commitments. Small firms may not always have the time, money, or expertise to devote to this — mainly while focusing on recovery from the epidemic — but atleast big players must publish their progress toward their goals.
What Can Others Learn From Google?
Google will face a significant challenge in achieving the objectives above. Nonetheless, the internet giant has been labeled a “trendsetter” in climate action, and many other firms are expected to follow suit. Google became the first big corporation to achieve carbon neutrality in 2007. Google Cloud is currently the only primary cloud provider with enough renewable energy to run our whole operation. Every company, large or small, may take small measures toward prioritizing the battle against climate change.
Organizations that prioritize climate change will likely have a competitive edge over those that disregard the environment, in addition to improving the environment. Therefore, Google is developing products and technologies to help consumers better understand and decrease their carbon footprint.
Pichai said. “We’re one small player in this, but we can set an example.”
