UK's unusual water-saving plea: Delete emails and photos to combat drought

UK Government's Curious Water-Saving Directive: Delete Photos and Emails?

In a move that has raised eyebrows and sparked debate, the UK government has issued an unusual set of recommendations to its citizens: delete old photos and emails to conserve water. This peculiar directive comes amidst a severe national drought, officially declared an "incident of national significance." With five regions grappling with drought conditions and six more experiencing prolonged dry spells, water levels in rivers and reservoirs are alarmingly low. The call to action, presented as a simple, everyday solution, suggests that actions like turning off taps or clearing digital inboxes can contribute to the collective effort of reducing demand and protecting vital ecosystems.

The Digital Footprint and its (Questionable) Water Impact

Helen Wakeham, a director at the Environment Agency, stated that "simple, everyday solutions, such as turning off the tap or deleting old emails, do genuinely help the collective effort to reduce demand and protect the health of our rivers and wildlife." This direct appeal to the public underscores the gravity of the situation, especially as previous water-saving measures have reportedly seen a 20% reduction in demand compared to its peak. However, the actual quantifiable impact of a digital declutter on water consumption remains a significant question mark. It's unclear how much water, if any, can be truly saved by emptying a spam folder or deleting old photographs.

The AI Paradox: Thirsty Data Centers Amidst Water Scarcity

The irony of this recommendation is palpable, particularly when juxtaposed with the UK government's commitment to fostering an "accelerated growth of the artificial intelligence industry." This ambitious goal inherently relies on the expansion of data centers, facilities that are notoriously water-intensive, primarily due to their cooling systems. While data centers do consume substantial amounts of water through evaporative cooling, the bulk of their energy, and thus their thirst, is tied to the computational power of CPUs and GPUs, not the passive storage of emails or images. To put it in perspective, a new AI data center in Wyoming is projected to consume five times more energy than the entire state's population.

The True Cost of Digital Storage and Cooling Technologies

When pressed for specifics, the Environment Agency declined to provide data on the estimated water savings from file deletion or the water usage of local data centers involved in file storage or AI training. Independent assessments, however, suggest that even smaller data centers employing older, water-evaporative cooling methods can require over 25 million liters of water annually. The tech industry is actively pursuing more sustainable cooling solutions, with companies like Microsoft exploring radical ideas such as sub-sea data centers or immersing servers in specialized fluids. Yet, the looming shadow of the AI industry's energy demands – predicted to rival the consumption of entire countries like Sweden or the Netherlands by 2027 – casts a long shadow over these efforts.