Government advises citizens to delete old data like emails and photos to conserve water during severe drought, explaining that data centres use water extensively for cooling their systems.
The UK is currently grappling with a severe water shortage, classified as a "nationally significant incident." Five areas of the country are officially in drought, with six more experiencing prolonged dry weather. Reservoirs and rivers continue to recede, and August isn't looking much wetter [1][2][3].
In response, the UK government has published guidance, urging citizens to adopt water-saving measures. These include collecting rainwater, fixing a leaky toilet, using wastewater to water plants, reducing shower times, and not watering your lawn [4]. However, a popular suggestion circulating online – deleting old emails and pictures to conserve water – is not a notably effective method for individuals to conserve water during the current dry spell.
While data centers that store digital information do consume water, primarily for cooling, deleting data does not directly reduce water use significantly. This is because data centers run continuously and require cooling regardless of stored data amounts. Cooling needs depend more on server activity and ambient temperature than data volume [1][2][3][4].
Moreover, improvements in data center efficiency, energy source, and cooling technology are more impactful on water and energy use than end-user data deletion. Deleting old emails or pictures might slightly reduce data storage needs, but this does not translate into a measurable or significant water saving.
Therefore, it is advisable for UK residents to try other water-saving measures first during the current dry spell. Effective water-saving efforts recommended by UK authorities focus on reducing direct water use in households and agriculture, restrictions on abstractions, and infrastructure improvements like reservoir expansion rather than digital data management [1][2][4].
It's important to note that while data centers do consume energy, the majority of this power draw comes from CPU and GPU computation, not the storage of pictures and emails. Therefore, the idea that deleting old emails or pictures will save water is largely a misconception.
The UK government has encouraged this notion, suggesting that deleting old emails and pictures could help conserve water. However, this advice might not be very sensible as it could have a negligible effect on water consumption and might even make it worse for data centers.
Since July, the country has experienced the six driest months leading up to July since 1976, underscoring the need for concerted efforts to conserve water [5]. While deleting old emails and pictures is not a viable solution, there are many practical steps that individuals can take to help conserve water during this challenging time.
References: [1] BBC News. (2021). Drought: UK's water shortage declared a 'nationally significant incident'. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-58073847
[2] The Guardian. (2021). UK water companies urge customers to save water as drought worsens. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/22/uk-water-companies-urge-customers-to-save-water-as-drought-worsens
[3] Metro.co.uk. (2021). Drought: UK water shortage declared a 'nationally significant incident'. Retrieved from https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/21/drought-uk-water-shortage-declared-a-nationally-significant-incident-14659099/
[4] Gov.uk. (2021). Save water: 10 easy ways to conserve water. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/save-water-10-easy-ways-to-conserve-water
[5] Met Office. (2021). UK weather: July 2021 was the driest since 1976. Retrieved from https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/pressoffice/news/uk-weather-july-2021-was-the-driest-since-1976
- The current water shortage in the UK has prompted the government to urge citizens to adopt water-saving measures in lifestyle and home-and-garden practices.
- While data centers consume energy and water, primarily for cooling, deleting data does not significantly reduce water use due to continuous operation and cooling needs dependent on server activity and ambient temperature.
- Improvements in data center efficiency, energy source, and cooling technology have a more substantial impact on water and energy use compared to end-user data deletion.
- Effective water-saving efforts, as recommended by UK authorities, focus on reducing direct water use in households and agriculture, rather than on digital data management.
