Glaciers are melting, oceans are becoming warmer, and heat waves are lasting longer than usual. Increased human activity and industrialization are threatening the climatic conditions of our planet in a big way. Climate scientists estimate that currently, the earth is around 1.2 degree Celsius warmer when compared with the pre-industrial era. This news is alarming and requires an immediate call for action. Environmentalists and scientists who have been studying climate change for years suggest that if steps are not taken now, in the next few decades, the earth will be 2 degrees Celsius warmer.
Not only a 2-degree temperature change may seem significant, according to the UN evaluation, the change could be “severe, pervasive and irreversible.” In a joint effort to fight global warming, 144 nations came under one roof to sign the iconic “Paris Climate Change Accord” back in December 2015. According to the terms of the agreement, every member country would take adequate measures to minimize carbon footprints on the planet.
The nature of the agreement is voluntary, wherein each state will set independent targets and goals to limit the effects of climate change in the coming decades. Given the severe nature of the threat our planet is facing, in addition to Government interventions, modern day offices and business must also step in to do their bit.
Energy consumption is directly linked to CO2 emission in the earth’s atmosphere. Most power plants run on fossil fuels, although a move towards renewable energy has been initiated. Office and industrial spaces consume power to run their business operations, and the solution lies in conserving energy.
Taking this cue, here are some easy and efficient ways that small to big corporations can adopt to restrict carbon footprints on the planet –
1) Move Towards Energy Efficient Lighting Solutions
Electricity or energy conservation can significantly reduce the carbon footprint in the world. It requires a simple practice of pulling the plugs. Make sure that the employees turn down their computers, laptops, printer, scanners, video conferencing equipment’s properly at the end of the day. Secondly, initiate a lighting overhaul and move towards energy efficient solutions. Refurbishing your existing lighting with LED lights, for instance, is an excellent way to conserve energy consumption in the office.
Modern and contemporarily designed Wipro LED lights, for example, are aesthetically appealing lights that require less power to function optimally. Simultaneously, move on to use natural light during the day. Add window panels or change the seating arrangement of the employees to make the most of the natural light during the daytime. These are small yet significant changes that will bring positive outcomes in the long run.
2) Transcend from Physical Servers to the Cloud
Most companies and offices store their valuable information in the physical server placed in the in-house data centers. Running and operating an in-house data center is both expensive and resource hungry. Air conditioners are installed to keep the temperature inside the data centers optimally cool (because physical servers emit excessive heat). Therefore, managing a data center essentially requires excessive energy consumption.
Conversely, if offices and industries move to cloud hosting solutions, this shift will not only reduce the operational cost but also conserve energy. For example, world’s leading cloud hosting service providers AWS (Amazon Web Hosting Services) is relying on clean energy to power their data centers. Therefore, more and more companies and offices moving to cloud hosting shall be beneficial for the environment.
3) Conserve Water
We know that water shortage is a real problem, but is it linked to carbon emission? The answer to this question is a yes. Let us explain. The water supplied to homes and offices are diverted from natural resources such as rivers, oceans, streams, and lakes to the treatment plants.
These treatment plants run on power to distil and treat the water to make it fit for consumption. Secondly, supplying the water to homes and offices require the working of high-pressure pipelines that also operate on electricity. Water conversion methods adopted by offices will reduce the pressure on resources required to distil and supply water in our homes and offices.
4) Recycle Electronic Equipment’s Responsibly
Electronic equipment has a shelf life, and with time an upgrade is essential for new application and software. This is particularly critical for businesses that offer IT development services. When an upgrade is sought, the older devices become redundant and amounts to e-waste. Enterprises must roll in e-waste recycling policy to get rid of discarded equipment responsibly. Laptop batteries, cell phones, hard disks are toxic for the environment if dumped in landfills without proper measures.
Offices must, therefore, engage professional agencies who specialize in recycling or refurbishing electronic equipment. Climate change is going to impact the Government, civil society and businesses alike. Therefore, it is a collective responsibility to stall its bearing. Rising temperature is also going to affect economic and business interest of many enterprises. Unseasonal rain and flooding, storms will hold development efforts and business growth and to escape the wrath of climate change carbon emission must be reduced.
