Calculating what we can’t see: carbon emissions in the cloud
The importance of full carbon emissions accounting, including virtual assets, has become the norm and is set to be an environmental compliance issue going forward. These changes are superimposed on a changing regulatory landscape (e.g. the EU’s Green Deal). Although universal common standards are sometimes lacking, our technical understanding is improving. In the interest of Building Anything Together, we will unpack Platform.sh’s approach to carbon calculations, including how we seek to allocate carbon emissions across our product profile and how our customers can contribute to minimizing their carbon footprint in the cloud.
Platform.sh presents Build Anything Together @SymfonyCon 2022
Keynote by Leah Goldfarb and Mary Thomas
Platform.sh Greener hosting:
https://platform.sh/greener-hosting/
Key moments:
0:00 - Intro
2:07 - A greener way to host
• Discusses the shift towards environmentally friendly hosting practices
• Provides a link to platform.sh website for further information
2:48 - Outline: Electricity and CO2 emissions
• Outlines the structure of the discussion: history, current state, future projections, actions needed, and next steps
3:43 - Greenhouse gasses - Net zero
• Defines "Net Zero" in the context of reducing or removing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Shows a graph illustrating the need to transition to negative emissions to achieve Net Zero by 2050
6:15 - How to meet the Paris Agreement goal?
• Highlights the importance of meeting Net Zero targets by 2050 to align with the Paris Agreement
• Discusses the need for rapid and substantial emissions reduction
7:15 - Carbon in the cloud
• Explores the carbon footprint of the tech sector, particularly cloud computing
• Emphasizes the significance of data center location in carbon emissions
7:32 - Hyperscalers' Net zero goal
• Discusses the renewable energy commitments of major cloud providers like GCP, AWS, and Azure
• Mentions carbon offsetting efforts by tech companies
10:01 - Carbon Offsets vs Carbon Removal
• Differentiates between carbon offsets and carbon removal
• Highlights the importance of scaling up carbon removal technologies
12:13 - Carbon intensity from electricity production
• Presents a world map showing the carbon intensity of electricity grids
• Emphasizes the importance of deploying data centers in regions with cleaner energy grids
13:23 - Market-base carbon emissions approach
• Explains the differences between market-based and location-based approaches to measuring carbon emissions
• Illustrates how data center location affects carbon emissions despite similar electricity usage
14:58 - Carbon information in the Cloud dashboard
• Discusses the availability of carbon information in cloud dashboards.
• Likely covers how cloud providers display carbon emissions data to users.
16:40 - What is Carbon auditing?
• Defines carbon auditing and its significance in assessing and managing carbon emissions.
• May include an explanation of the process involved in carbon auditing.
17:45 - Complexities of Carbon auditing
• Explores the challenges and complexities associated with conducting carbon audits.
• Likely addresses issues such as data collection, measurement accuracy, and standardization.
18:52 - Emission Scopes (1,2, and 3)
• Introduces the concept of emission scopes, including Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions.
• May explain the differences between these scopes and their respective impacts on carbon emissions.
20:16 - Reduce environmental impact
• Discusses strategies and initiatives to reduce environmental impact, particularly in the context of carbon emissions.
• May include examples of measures taken by companies to minimize their carbon footprint.
20:30 - Cloud emission methodology
• Explores methodologies used to calculate carbon emissions associated with cloud computing.
• May delve into specific approaches and techniques utilized in this process.
21:26 - Operational emissions variables
• Examines various variables and factors that contribute to operational emissions in cloud computing.
• Likely discusses factors such as energy consumption, server utilization, and data center efficiency.
23:27 - Emissions of AWS in France
• Focuses on the carbon emissions of AWS (Amazon Web Services) data centers located in France.
• May include data and analysis regarding the environmental impact of AWS operations in France.
25:48 - How will Platform.sh reduce Carbon emissions?
• Explores the strategies and plans of Platform.sh to reduce carbon emissions.
• Likely includes information on specific initiatives and actions taken by Platform.sh to mitigate environmental impact.
27:06 - What can you do to reduce Carbon emissions
• Provides practical tips and suggestions for individuals and organizations to reduce carbon emissions.
28:04 - The future of Climate change
• Discusses the future trajectory of climate change and its potential impacts.
29:32 - Ending