Major companies could reduce their carbon emissions by as much as 50 percent and significantly increase energy efficiency by shifting to cloud computing, according to a new report. In an analysis of UK, French, and U.S. firms that have used cloud computing for at least two years, the Carbon Disclosure Project calculated that by 2020 U.S. companies with annual revenues of more than $1 billion can save $12.3 billion in energy costs and achieve carbon reductions equivalent to 200 million barrels of oil a year if they shift to shared data networks. The report said that large UK companies could achieve annual energy savings of £ 1.2 billion if they move to cloud computing. Cloud computing — in which data can be stored, managed, and processed on external servers as needed — allows companies to buy less hardware and also improves efficiency and flexibility. According to the report, which was conducted by the independent firm Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T, large companies plan to accelerate their adoption of cloud computing from 10 percent to 69 percent of their IT spending by 2020.
Cloud Computing Can Reduce Carbon Emissions By Half, Report Says
More From E360
-
CONSERVATION
Silencing Science: How Indonesia Is Censoring Wildlife Research
-
Energy
In Europe’s Clean Energy Transition, Industry Turns to Heat Pumps
-
INTERVIEW
Amazon Under Fire: The Long Struggle Against Brazil’s Land Barons
-
WATER
After Comeback, Southern Iraq’s Marshes Are Now Drying Up
-
Biodiversity
Sacred Groves: How the Spiritual Connection Helps Protect Nature
-
Energy
For U.S. Companies, the Race for the New EV Battery Is On
-
INTERVIEW
Forest Equity: What Indigenous People Want from Carbon Credits
-
Policy
Which Wetlands to Protect? Supreme Court Will Soon Decide
-
Toxics
In Bolivia, Mercury Pollution Spreads Amid a Surge in Gold Mining
-
Biodiversity
The 30 Percent Goal: Is Bigger Always Better for Biodiversity?
-
CONSERVATION
Amid the Sprawl, a Long Island Prairie Makes a Quiet Comeback
-
Climate
How an Early Oil Industry Study Became Key in Climate Lawsuits