Concerns Raised Over Google’s Carbon Emission Estimates for UK Datacentres
Google developers significantly misstate carbon emissions of proposed UK datacentres
The Guardian
Image: The Guardian
Google's proposed datacentres in Thurrock and North Weald, Essex, have been found to significantly underestimate their carbon emissions. Experts claim the emissions calculations misrepresent the facilities' impact on the UK's carbon budget, suggesting a fivefold understatement. Together with another datacentre in Lincolnshire, these projects could contribute over 1% of the UK's total emissions by 2033.
- 01Google's emissions estimates for its UK datacentres are reportedly understated by a factor of five.
- 02The proposed datacentres could collectively account for over 1% of the UK's carbon budget in 2033.
- 03Local officials are investigating the accuracy of the emissions figures submitted by Google and Greystoke.
- 04The Thurrock datacentre's emissions are projected to exceed those of an international airport.
- 05Greystoke plans to revise its emissions figures in response to the identified discrepancies.
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Developers for Google have been accused of significantly understating the carbon emissions from two proposed datacentres in Thurrock and North Weald, Essex, according to a review by the Guardian. Experts from the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove found that the calculations compared one year of emissions from the datacentres to the entire five-year carbon budget of the UK, resulting in an apparent fivefold understatement of their environmental impact. Collectively, these datacentres, along with another in north Lincolnshire, could contribute over 1% of the UK's total carbon emissions by 2033, equivalent to the emissions of a mid-sized city like Bristol. Google's Thurrock datacentre is estimated to emit 0.165% of the UK’s carbon budget from 2028 to 2032, while the North Weald datacentre is projected to emit 0.215% from 2033 to 2037. Local councillor Steven Heather stated that the planning department will investigate these claims, and if errors are found, the developers will need to provide accurate figures during the submission stage. Google and Greystoke have defended their projects, claiming they will have a negligible impact on climate goals, although the Thurrock datacentre's emissions could surpass those of an international airport. Greystoke acknowledged the discrepancies and plans to submit revised figures to the local planning authority.
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The misrepresentation of carbon emissions could lead to inadequate assessments of the environmental impact of these datacentres, potentially affecting local climate goals and regulations.
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