Rapidly expanding digital technologies pose a concerning impact on the environment, according to a recent study, delivering a dire warning.
The third edition of the Green IT association's "Environmental impacts of digital worldwide" study, published on February 4, 2025, has shed light on the significant ecological impacts of the digital sector at a global scale.
The report highlights a rising trend in carbon emissions and energy consumption within the digital sector, primarily driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and data infrastructure. This increase in emissions poses a threat to sustainable development goals within the ICT sector globally.
AI development and deployment significantly increase electricity consumption, especially within data centers. Data center electricity consumption grew by approximately 12% annually from 2017 to 2023, which is about four times faster than overall global electricity growth.
The study also reveals that the sector's environmental footprint is expanding due to the increased reliance on digital technologies, including AI and data-intensive applications. This growth counters some of the gains made in energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption.
The report emphasizes that while more digital companies are setting emissions targets and sourcing renewable energy, additional urgent action is required to counterbalance the sector's escalating emissions and energy use.
There is an emphasis on the potential for digital technologies to aid in reducing carbon footprints if managed properly—such as extending device lifetimes, switching to energy-efficient networks, and ensuring climate-neutral data centers by 2030. However, without strong regulations and commitments, digital consumption risks outpacing these benefits.
Organizations like UNEP advocate for fostering sustainability-focused digital infrastructure and innovation to mitigate risks such as pollution and resource overconsumption linked with digital technologies.
The study underscores the paradox of digital technologies: they both contribute substantially to environmental impacts through increasing energy consumption and emissions, especially fueled by AI growth, and offer pathways to sustainability if managed with ambitious climate targets and green innovation.
The digital sector is responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to twice Canada's or 5.5 times France's emissions. The sector also contributed to the extraction of 41 million kilos of minerals and metals in one year.
The annual electric consumption of all data centers is equivalent to Germany's consumption (506 TWh/year). In 2023, 30.5 billion devices were used by 5.35 billion internet users, nearly six devices per user. The study highlights the explosion of digital equipment worldwide, including 4.6 billion smartphones, 1.45 billion 47" LCD TVs, and 15.7 billion connected objects.
In response to these findings, Green IT proposes rethinking digital uses for sustainability, suggesting limiting the replacement of digital equipment and advocating for a more responsible approach in the digital sector, favoring durable equipment. The study uses a multi-criteria Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to analyze the ecological impacts of the digital sector at a global scale for the year 2023.
The report serves as a call to action for the digital sector to adopt a more sustainable approach in digital practices, ensuring that the benefits of digital technologies are balanced with their environmental impacts.
- The report from the Green IT association's "Environmental impacts of digital worldwide" study reveals that the digital sector's environmental footprint is expanding due to the increased reliance on digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and data-intensive applications, which significantly increase electricity consumption, especially within data centers.
- The digital sector is responsible for a substantial proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions, with AI development and deployment contributing to this, and the sector's annual electric consumption equivalent to Germany's consumption.
- The study emphasizes that while digital technologies can aid in reducing carbon footprints if managed properly, such as extending device lifetimes and ensuring climate-neutral data centers, without strong regulations and commitments, digital consumption risks outpacing these benefits, necessitating a more sustainable approach in digital practices.
