These days, cloud storage is an integral part of our everyday personal and professional lives. Storing files on the cloud makes it easy to store and share digital files, especially for large and geographically-separated teams. However, this convenience comes with an environmental cost.

While the word “cloud” makes this technology seem light and airy, the truth is that cloud storage can have heavy environmental impacts. Data centers, which house the servers that make cloud storage possible, are massive facilities requiring significant energy to function. As they operate, servers generate heat, which must be mitigated with cooling systems. This is an extremely energy-intensive process, which accounts for over 40% of data centers’ electricity use. On top of that, this electricity is often drawn from fossil-fuel-dependent grids, meaning that, despite their virtual nature, cloud technologies leave a very real carbon footprint.

The industry has made progress: between 2010 and 2018, data center computing output increased by 550%, while energy consumption rose by only 6%. In addition, major cloud companies have also committed to ambitious sustainability goals, such as achieving 100% renewable energy usage at data centers. However, such ambitious goals can be imperfect. And other challenges remain, including the prevalence of older data centers that don’t take advantage of these new technological improvements. Overall, while advancements in energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption are promising, broader systemic changes, such as regulatory frameworks and industry leadership, are necessary to ensure that the cloud’s growth aligns with environmental goals.

This may seem like an overwhelming problem, but your choices can make a difference. Here’s how:

• Choose Green Providers: For your personal storage needs, select cloud services from companies with robust sustainability commitments. At work, advocate for your organization to do the same, such as by adding environmental considerations to your procurement process. Consider distributed cloud storage providers, such as Storj & Hivenet, which leverage the unused storage on devices to reduce/eliminate the need for power-hungry data centers.
• Optimize Storage & Synchronization: Adopt policies and procedures that regularly remove unneeded files from your organization’s cloud storage solution and that limit how frequently devices access the cloud. These practices reduce the needed processing power for data centers and therefore the energy required for cooling. Look into your cloud provider’s tools for identifying large files, such as Google’s “Free up account storage” feature, and for automating your file retention policies, such as AWS Backup and Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager.
• Get Involved: Environmental organizations such as the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) are actively working on policy solutions to mitigate the climate impacts of data centers. Consider donating your time or money to support their leadership!