Will RichardsonHead of EcoSystems and Networks, 51toCarbonZero · Sustainability & Net-Zero Strategy Leader | Helping £100m+ Enterprises Cut Climate Risk & Operating Costs | Head of EcoSystems & Networks | Host of Sustainability Solved Podcast

The shocking truth about data center electricity #energy #carbon #tech

13 Jun 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:34

In this concise presentation, Will Richardson highlights the often‑overlooked carbon footprint of businesses that rely on the internet. He points out that data centers consumed about 415 terawatt‑hours of electricity in 2024—roughly 1.5 % of global electricity use—and cites the International Energy Agency’s forecast that this consumption will more than double by 2030. Richardson argues that because digital operations now drive a sizable share of energy use, every digital decision a company makes should be treated as an energy decision, urging business leaders to measure and manage this hidden impact.

Chapters

If your business runs on the internet, and almost every business now does, you have a carbon footprint sitting in plain sight that your board has almost certainly never measured. Data centers alone consumed around 415 terawatt-hours in 2024. That is roughly 1.5% of all electricity used on Earth, and the International Energy Agency expects that to more than double by 2030. So here is the shift business leaders need to make. Digital decisions are now energy decisions.