As one focused on infrastructure, I found Sundar Pichai's comments on climate change revealing as to how Google views the link between the technical advances of the built environment and the natural environment. These advances, he argued, might lead us to a carbon-free future. He cited improvements in energy storage and the increasing price competitiveness of wind and solar as alternatives to current electricity options. Artificial intelligence projects at Google have helped to reduce the energy necessary to cool data centers and to predict wind energy. From a preventative perspective, Google's satellite data can detect carbon emitters, making compliance to environmental laws easier. Additionally, Google's Environmental Impact Explorer enables cities to map their green house gas emissions from buildings and transportation. The platform uses satellite imagery to forecast the spread of wildfires and to anticipate water levels during flooding events.
To affirm Google's commitment to carbon energy reduction, the company has employed offsets to its current carbon use and has established a goal to operate its data centers and campuses on carbon-free energy by 2030.
https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2020/11/17/tech-must-help-combat-climate-change-says-sundar-pichai
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