Considerations in Designing for Reduced Environmental Impact of Digital Media Production and Distribution Systems
Tom Moran
Efforts to quantify and mitigate the environmental impact of digital media production and distribution should focus on the energy use of information technology (IT) infrastructure, rather than carbon or CO$_{2}\text{e}$ footprints, as the primary performance indicator and means of impact. While reducing CO$_{2}\text{e}$ footprints is one of the ultimate goals of such efforts, CO$_{2}\text{e}$ output is a secondary measure of system performance that when focused on too narrowly can create perverse incentives to invest resources inefficiently or take unilateral actions that have unintended negative consequences. The source of this misplaced focus on CO$_{2}\text{e}$ is largely the result of marketing efforts that emphasize the reduction of carbon footprints, mostly through renewable energy procurement, as the primary means of reducing impact. The procurement of renewable energy and related carbon intensity metrics, whether in the form of standards or corporate reporting, are of little value to system designers and operators in understanding how to reduce the environmental impact of IT systems and infrastructure. As just one example, research on mesh content delivery network (CDN) delivery has demonstrated techniques that reduced energy consumption by more than 50%, which would not be reflected in standard CO2emissions reporting. By focusing on energy proportionality and techniques that reduce and adjust energy consumption, designers, and operators can create a direct impact on CO$_{2}\text{e}$ emissions while also increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Further research and development as well as collaboration on industry standards that go beyond CO$_{2}\text{e}$ reporting is vital to reducing industry-wide internet and communications technology (ICT) environmental impacts.