The UK government is urging citizens to delete old emails and photos
During the height of the national drought in the UK, which has led to water shortages, the government has called on the public to help overcome the crisis by deleting old electronic data. Each gigabyte of digital information stored on servers requires energy, and data centers (DCs) use a lot of water to cool their systems, which can overload the water supply network.
Critics call this strange and believe that such a call shifts the responsibility for the environmental problem onto individual citizens, without addressing large corporations. Experts note that most of the water expenses occur due to the maintenance of commercial and corporate data.
«This is absurd! Government assistance should consist of modernizing infrastructure and finding sustainable cooling solutions, not asking people to delete family photos,» cites one IT specialist from Tom's Hardware.
The situation is complicated by the fourth heat wave this summer in the UK, which has led to severe water shortages. The national drought group has declared the situation «nationally significant,» and five regions of the country are experiencing the driest six months since 1976.
During the exceptional drought in the UK, the government called on citizens to help save water by deleting old electronic data. Critics refute this approach, believing that most of the water resources are used for the needs of commercial structures and corporations.