Cloud computing in all its forms has gained serious momentum over the last year, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. At the same time, another movement is taking place that may eventually have a direct impact on the cloud activity: The Green Computing revolution.

It’s no secret that carbon emissions are on the rise, and are devastating the earth’s air quality, natural environments, and public health. The situation has become so severe that businesses and enterprises are actively looking for quality business solutions that aim to reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

Google recently made the claim that its cloud services are the cleanest in the industry, while also launching a number of new tools to support businesses in their green initiatives. When considering business activity that is harmful to the environment, most people tend to think of chemical waste or toxic gases from factories and massive operations. Most people fail to consider that tech operations produce harmful waste as well, especially when considering the massive amounts of energy required to keep cloud operations functional 24/7.

To help businesses move toward greener pastures, Google developers have released Carbon Footprint, a new tool that analyzes operational processes to measure carbon emissions from Google cloud activity. With this resource, organizations can have a detailed understanding of where the bulk of emissions come from, which will help develop a better strategy for cleaner business practices – and produce evidence for it, which might be very useful when competing in regulated markets.

"As we work to achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy, we help you take immediate action to decarbonize your digital applications and infrastructure", commented Chris Talbott - Cloud Sustainability at Google - and Joel Conkling - Product Manager, Google Earth Engine - in a joint announcement post. "We're also working with our customers across every industry to develop new solutions for the unique climate change challenges that organizations face. Today, we’re excited to expand our portfolio of carbon-free solutions and announce new partnerships that will help every company build a more sustainable future."

Sources: Cloud Computing Mag, Google