We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

The Cloud Is Killing The Planet

renegadefm
renegadefm Posts: 1,303 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 7 March 2020 at 12:35AM in Techie Stuff
Just heard the devistating affect our need to use the Cloud and store data online such as files, photos, music, etc online is impacting on our environment, because massive computer systems requiring massive amounts of energy run by fossil fuels is powering our power hungry lives. And now the new threat is apparently 5G for phones. 
I'm thinking OMG what are we doing to our world? Our children's world?
What is wrong with going back to printing photos like we used to,  storing files on cds like we should do. And utilising better use of our own pc hard drives?
Our modern way of life seems obsessed with destroying the planet? 
«13

Comments

  • Johno100
    Johno100 Posts: 5,259 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Not sure what scaremongering story you've been reading? Try this for a bit of balance:-

    https://www.agileit.com/news/environmental-benefits-cloud-computing/
  • p00hsticks
    p00hsticks Posts: 14,615 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Johno100 said:
    Not sure what scaremongering story you've been reading?
    I suspect they've been watching this

  • Johnmcl7
    Johnmcl7 Posts: 2,842 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Just heard the devistating affect our need to use the Cloud and store data online such as files, photos, music, etc online is impacting on our environment, because massive computer systems requiring massive amounts of energy run by fossil fuels is powering our power hungry lives. And now the new threat is apparently 5G for phones. 
    I'm thinking OMG what are we doing to our world? Our children's world?
    What is wrong with going back to printing photos like we used to,  storing files on cds like we should do. And utilising better use of our own pc hard drives?
    Our modern way of life seems obsessed with destroying the planet? 
    I genuinely can't tell if you're being serious or not because what you're suggesting is so ludicrously inefficient and damaging to the environment I really hope you're not serious.  A standard hard drive offers up to 14TB capacity which can hold just under a million high quality 25MP photos, over three and a half million high quality mobile phone photos or over 22,000 CD's and that's just a [i]single[/i] hard drive.  To print even a fraction of the photos or burn that data to CD is clearly going to use far more power in the manufacturing of the raw product and the hardware to print/burn the data then when that data is no longer required such as when the person passes away you have vast amounts of waste that you don't have with a digital product
  • buglawton
    buglawton Posts: 9,246 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 7 March 2020 at 9:14AM
    The best recent perspective (and debunking of some of the scaremongering) was in this radio podcast 'Netflix vs The Environment':
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrss1/episodes/downloads
    Don't worry it's audio so won't consume nearly as much energy as video!

    Yes using the internet for media does consume a lot of energy overall. But it's an area replete with technological advances that are going to slash the carbon cost over time.
    If Bitcoin mining and usage were banned like a class A drug, the power consumption of Ireland would be instantly saved.

  • roddydogs
    roddydogs Posts: 7,479 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    So is the BBC going to cut down on its internet based content? Whaddauthink?
  • buglawton
    buglawton Posts: 9,246 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    No it's going to switch off most of its highly wasteful network of TV and radio transmitters.
  • poppellerant
    poppellerant Posts: 1,970 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    This only makes me glad that I didn't use "cloud" services, mostly because I don't like that companies look at the data.  Not that I have anything to hide, but these days people seem to waive their privacy far too easily.
    It just seems as though that cloud because another trend which the sheep followed.  Much like sheep to the slaughter.
  • RumRat
    RumRat Posts: 5,035 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 7 March 2020 at 12:13PM
    This only makes me glad that I didn't use "cloud" services, mostly because I don't like that companies look at the data.  Not that I have anything to hide, but these days people seem to waive their privacy far too easily.
    It just seems as though that cloud because another trend which the sheep followed.  Much like sheep to the slaughter.
    Someone has a superiority complex......Baaaa!

    Drinking Rum before 10am makes you
    A PIRATE
    Not an Alcoholic...!
  • onomatopoeia99
    onomatopoeia99 Posts: 7,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Just heard the devistating affect our need to use the Cloud and store data online such as files, photos, music, etc online is impacting on our environment, because massive computer systems requiring massive amounts of energy run by fossil fuels is powering our power hungry lives. And now the new threat is apparently 5G for phones. 
    I'm thinking OMG what are we doing to our world? Our children's world?
    What is wrong with going back to printing photos like we used to,  storing files on cds like we should do. And utilising better use of our own pc hard drives?
    Our modern way of life seems obsessed with destroying the planet? 
    I'm thinking OMG what other more energy efficient method of storing photos do you propose? 

    Here's a hint, the manufacturing of paper, ink, ink cartridges, printers (etc) uses much more energy and resources per photo than storing them on a cloud server.
    Proud member of the wokerati, though I don't eat tofu.Home is where my books are.Solar PV 5.2kWp system, SE facing, >1% shading, installed March 2019.Mortgage free July 2023
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 258.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.