How bad is our data for the planet?
Storing your data in \u2018the cloud\u2019 might sound like an ethereal, intangible place, but it\u2019s actually a physical location - a data centre. CrowdScience listener Art is worried about how much energy and water data centres are consuming. He\u2019s from Ireland, where data centres are gobbling up almost 20% of the national electricity supply and that\u2019s growing, fast.
So how much energy and water are data centres using globally? And how can they become more sustainable? To answer Art\u2019s question CrowdScience heads to chilly western Norway to visit a data centre hidden deep within a mountain, that\u2019s said to be one of the most efficient in the world. And we hear how a data centre in South Africa is saving water and dealing with crippling power cuts by generating its own renewable energy.
Do we just need to stream less TV and reduce our email inbox? With the help of carbon footprint expert Mike Berners-Lee, we crunch the numbers to find out.
Featuring:\nSvein Atle Hagaseth, CEO of Green Mountain data centres in Norway\nMike Berners-Lee, Professor at Lancaster University\u2019s Environment Centre and consultant at Small World Consulting\nThulani Ncube, Group Energy Lead at Africa Data Centres
Presenter: Anand Jagatia\nProducer: Sophie Eastaugh\nEditor: Cathy Edwards\nStudio Manager: Donald MacDonald\nProduction: Jonathan Harris & Connor Morgans\nAdditional Recording by: Kobus van Niekerk