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Episode Description
If the internet were a country, its emissions would rank higher than international aviation. Most boardrooms have not caught up. By the end you will know where the credible 2026 data sits, and what to do about it.
How are you managing Scope 3 supplier data right now? We're offering a free sustainability assessment of your top 10 suppliers, giving you a clearer picture of your Scope 3 data and where supplier engagement can improve.
At 51toCarbonZero, we help organisations engage suppliers and build an accurate picture of their value chain, without the manual effort usually needed from you or them.
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When we talk about emissions, transport, heavy industry and power generation dominate the conversation. One source still slips under the radar despite being used by two-thirds of the world every day: the internet itself. The joint World Bank and ITU report (2024) puts the ICT sector's share of global greenhouse gas emissions between 1.5 and 4 per cent, with a conservative floor of at least 1.7 per cent. That is already larger than international aviation, and it is growing fast.
The driver is electricity. Data centres alone consumed around 415 terawatt hours in 2024, roughly 1.5 per cent of global electricity use, according to the International Energy Agency. The IEA expects that to more than double to around 945 TWh by 2030, with AI as the dominant accelerant. Digital decisions are now energy decisions.
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UPCOMING WEBINAR: The Scope 3 Blind Spot: What Your Supplier Data Isn't Telling You
Scope 3 emissions are often the biggest contributor to an organisation’s carbon footprint, yet many businesses are making decisions based on incomplete, outdated or estimated supplier data. In this webinar, we’ll explore the biggest blind spots in supplier emissions data, why they matter for reporting and decarbonisation, and how leading organisations are moving beyond spreadsheets and assumptions to build a more accurate, scalable approach to Scope 3. LIVE ATTENDANCE BONUS: complimentary gap audit of your top 10 suppliers. Wednesday 16 September | 1pm BST https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/webinar-supply-chain/
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I'm Will Richardson, Head of Ecosystems at 51toCarbonZero and a sustainability advisor with 25 years in the field. I founded Green Element in 2004 and spent two decades building it into one of Europe's most respected sustainability consultancies before it merged with 51toCarbonZero in November 2025. Climate action is both an obligation and an opportunity, and that's the thread running through everything I write here. I co-created Compare Your Footprint, carbon accounting software recognised as a key player in the Global Carbon Accounting Software Market, and I'm a Fellow of IEMA and a Chartered Environmentalist. Each week, I break down what's actually happening in sustainability: the data, the regulation, the greenwash worth calling out, and the practical steps businesses can take right now. No jargon, no doom-mongering, just clear thinking for people who need to make real decisions. I also host the Sustainability Solved podcast with Charlie Luxton, 200+ episodes and counting, where we talk to the people building the solutions. Based in Scotland. Writing for business leaders who want sustainability to make commercial sense, not just moral sense.