Australia is gearing up for a crucial point in time where it has an opportunity to set out plans for its future energy industry, writes Erich Gerber from TIBCO Software.
With more extreme weathers on the rise, it is no surprise the United Nation’s (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued “Code Red for humanity” in their recent report, which warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, featured a flurry of activity and excitement about the future of the planet with politicians backing a multitude of energy solutions, including hydropower, hydrogen and large-scale batteries to get Australia’s emissions on a downward trajectory.
At the granular level, the specific causes of climate change are complex. However, we can discern one cause which may also offer a solution—and that is data.
Related article: What does net zero mean for Australia’s domestic gas market?
The rapid digitalisation of the global economy and the resulting rise in the number of energy-intensive data centres is a major cause for concern. There are more than 257 data centres in Australia; most of these colocation facilities are located along the eastern coast in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney.[1]
Data centres and data transmission networks each accounted for around 1 per cent of global electricity use in 2019, and global internet traffic surged by almost 40 per cent between February and mid-April 2020[2]. It is no surprise that this increase in both demand and capacity was due to increasing reliance on technology during pandemic-related lockdowns.
We are now at a crossroads, where we need to decipher how to expand the essential use of data but do so in a sustainable way because the exponential rise in the generation and use of data is not going to stop.
Putting data to good use
On the flip side, the integration of big data with data science is making an essential, positive contribution to the fight against climate change. Only highly sophisticated data analytics can handle the vast and complex amounts of data generated by variables such as changing sea levels, rainforest destruction, glacier loss and macro weather patterns. Analysing this data facilitates climate modelling and which can reveal hidden insights and thereby recommendations for action.
Incorporating historical data helps map current trends and patterns and extrapolate into future conditions through complex modelling. Analytics distil the intelligence and understanding that leads to more viable solutions and adaptive policymaking on climate change.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
AI and ML technology will be crucial in this battle. Climate researchers and innovators are already using AI/ML to test their climate theories and solutions and develop beneficial products and services, for individual citizens as well as businesses.
At a major AI conference in June 2019, attending researchers and experts discussed a paper recently published by AI industry leaders called “Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning.” The paper covered 13 areas where ML can be deployed, including energy production, CO2 removal, education, solar geoengineering, and finance.
Taking a leaf out of Scotland’s Environment Web (SEWeb)
SEWeb is already putting these techniques to work. SEWeb uses data visualisation tools to create a picture of the country’s environment and interact more deeply with the data. These tools save users time and effort, letting them more easily analyse and view multiple layers of data, with filters for their areas of interest (air, water, ground) and the contributing factors.
The pertinent information is more readily available and visible, allowing users to absorb it faster and more completely. Applied more broadly, these tools can help governments and policymakers grasp the reality of the global situation, and work towards potential solutions.
Related article: Decarbonisation tech converts CO2 to solid carbon
Australia’s response
The IPCC report makes it abundantly clear that doing nothing is no longer an option.
According to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia has already experienced increases in average temperatures over the past 60 years, with more frequent hot weather, fewer cold days, shifting rainfall patterns and rising sea levels. Research has shown that most of the changes observed will continue into the future.[3]
It is not too late for Australia to develop targets to reach net zero by 2050. But whatever the outcome, it will be data and data analytics that deliver the insights to make those decisions both possible and effective in solving the climate crisis.
[1] https://www.reportlinker.com/p06067805/Australia-Data-Center-Market-Growth-Trends-COVID-19-Impact-and-Forecasts.html
[2] Data Center and Data Transmission Network; International Energy Agency
[3] https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information
