Google and Cardano Report Environmental and Sustainability Updates Amid Rising Energy Demands
Google's Emissions Increase:
Google released its 2024 Environmental Report, highlighting a 13% year-over-year increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2023 and a nearly 50% rise from 2019. The company attributed the increase to higher data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions linked to artificial intelligence (AI) demands. Despite a 100% global renewable energy match, Google’s data center electricity consumption grew by 17% in 2023, consuming over 24 terawatt-hours (TWh), equating to 7-10% of global data center power usage.
Cardano's Sustainability Indicators:
The Cardano Foundation, in collaboration with the Crypto Carbon Ratings Institute (CCRI), released MiCA-compliant sustainability indicators for the Cardano network, meeting European Union regulatory requirements. The detailed report showed that Cardano uses an energy-efficient consensus protocol and has an annual electricity consumption of 704.91 megawatt-hours (MWh) and a carbon footprint of 250.73 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). The report's release marks an effort toward greater transparency and regulatory compliance within the blockchain community.
Minnesota Gas Prices:
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Minnesota’s gas prices increased to an average of $3.28 per gallon of regular fuel, up from $3.21 the previous week. The average has risen about 4 cents since last month, with last year's gas prices averaging 4% higher at $3.43 per gallon. Nationally, gas prices averaged $3.48 per gallon last week.
These updates underscore ongoing challenges and efforts in managing energy consumption and sustainability in both tech and traditional energy sectors.