Environment Variables

Ruby

Merrin Macleod

2 talks

#sustainability

#ruby

#software-development

#environmental-impact

#cryptocurrency

Environment Variables

by Merrin Macleod

In her presentation titled 'Environment Variables' at RubyConf AU 2019, Merrin Macleod addresses the urgent problem of climate change and the role of the software development industry in contributing to and combating this issue. Macleod highlights the following key points:

In conclusion, Macleod calls for collective efforts from individuals and organizations within the tech community to understand and mitigate their environmental impact. She stresses that we are at a pivotal moment where embracing responsibility can lead to a more sustainable future.

00:00:00.050 Next up, we have Merrin Macleod. Merrin actually got me my first Rails job back in 2014, so thank you for introducing me to this community. Merrin is based in Australia or New Zealand, depending on your preferences. She was a founding member of Ruby New Zealand, where she served on the committee for three years. She also ran the first Rails Girls workshops in Wellington and co-founded the Kiwi Ruby conference with me and some others. In her spare time, Merrin enjoys painting human anatomy and vegetables. You can see some of her work on her Instagram. Recently, she has been quite concerned about manmade climate change. Merrin previously worked with Code for Australia, doing interactive predictive tools for the Victorian Government related to bushfires, and she has also worked in the electricity industry in New Zealand. Let's give a big round of applause for Merrin Macleod, our last speaker of the day.

00:01:13.920 I'll start with a fun anecdote because this talk is going to be pretty bleak. When I was a teenager, a boy asked me out on a date to the movies. He asked me to choose a movie that I wanted to watch, and I picked "An Inconvenient Truth." It’s not a good date movie; there was no second date after that! There are many ways in which we affect the environment around us with the way we live and the work that we do. Today, I’ll focus on one particular issue, which many of you may know as global warming or climate change.

00:01:40.750 This talk was particularly inspired by the IPCC’s 1.5 degrees report, which I highly recommend you read. I’m not going to reiterate all of "An Inconvenient Truth", but the world is indeed getting warmer. Many of you may have seen a graph that illustrates this; each bar represents a country, and if it's blue, the year in the middle was colder than average, while red indicates it was hotter than average. There has always been weather variation, with hot years and cold years, but cold years are becoming warmer and rarer, while hot years are increasingly common. Australia has just experienced its hottest January on record, with records broken across the country.

00:02:07.490 The increasing temperature is primarily due to human activity. This increase is mainly caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and while the sun has been relatively stable over the last hundred years, it does not explain the rise in temperatures. Global warming has various impacts, with differing levels of likelihood and severity. For instance, sea level rise will lead to displacement from low-lying areas, and we are already seeing insurance companies retreat from coastal communities. We will witness significant changes in natural ecosystems, as evidenced by coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.

00:02:40.150 Some places where people have lived comfortably for a long time may soon become unlivable. Unfortunately, we have already missed the critical window to entirely avoid these outcomes; they are going to happen, but what we can do now is mitigate their impact. If we implement drastic changes quickly, we can still contain the situation. However, it's important to note that not everyone was convinced about climate change back in 2014.

00:03:03.060 CSIRO asked Australians to estimate how many of their fellow Australians they believed didn’t believe in climate change. They estimated around 22 percent, but the actual number was approximately 11 percent. It's actually a much smaller group than people might think. I’m not here to convince that minority; instead, I want to discuss what we can do moving forward. Today, I will talk about how our industry contributes to climate change, both positively and negatively, and how we as software developers and tech professionals can actively help. I won't focus too much on personal life choices as there are plenty of resources available for that.

00:04:08.060 How does our industry, specifically information technology (IT), contribute to climate change? Currently, IT accounts for about 2% of global emissions, which encompasses data centers, voice and data network infrastructure, and running devices. Data center emissions, in particular, are a significant part of our contribution as software developers. However, while data center emissions have been growing significantly each year, global data center capacity has increased even more rapidly. The industry trend is toward using large data centers maintained by organizations like Amazon and Google, which are incentivized to improve their efficiency.

00:04:48.480 Let’s consider how our decisions at work impact climate change. First, here are a couple of reference points: every kilowatt-hour (kWh) used in Victoria emits about 700 grams of CO2. This number fluctuates depending on the energy source, which can vary from hydroelectricity to coal. When you drive one kilometer, depending on your vehicle, you might emit around 500 grams of CO2. To illustrate some of these emissions, making one kilogram of hard cheese produces approximately ten kilograms of CO2 equivalent, predominantly due to methane from cows, which is a much more effective greenhouse gas than CO2.

00:05:45.000 Australia's carbon intensity for electricity is notably high, especially on the east coast due to its reliance on coal. For example, New Zealand averages around 120 grams, California about 250 grams, and France around 50 grams per kWh. Meanwhile, Queensland can reach close to 800 grams in some circumstances. Let’s look at specific examples of work-related activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions: for a powerful desktop machine running for 24 hours in Sydney, the emissions could be around 16.8 kilograms, which is equivalent to approximately 1.68 kilograms of cheese.

00:06:31.600 Many of us use MacBook Pros, and Apple estimates the carbon footprint of each machine. Over four years of use, it may total around 450 kilograms, comparable to the emissions from driving from here to Sydney. While such emissions can seem considerable, when averaged over several years, it's not too alarming. For work-related travel, a return flight between Sydney and Melbourne generates about 148 kilograms of CO2, equating to nearly fifteen kilograms of cheese. The question must be asked: how much does one Bitcoin transaction emit?

00:07:04.000 By inference, one Bitcoin transaction can emit approximately 205 kilograms of CO2, dependent on market conditions. If this appears excessive, you're correct; it represents the emissions of a drive to Wagga Wagga. The Bitcoin network collectively emits around 22 million tons of CO2 annually due to its energy-intensive proof-of-work consensus mechanism. Every transaction pulls considerable energy as computers attempt vast calculations, creating astronomical emissions. Similarly, any proof-of-work cryptocurrency faces the same issues. On the other end of the spectrum, while Google Cloud and AWS offer some offsets to their emissions, they may not always be comprehensive enough, and the actual numbers are still difficult to assess.

00:07:42.420 For example, pricing their services based on such figures can provide a clearer understanding of the emissions brought about by using their platforms. Let's face it, the technology work we do often results in increased operational efficiencies and resource efficiency. Our work supports adaptations to a low-carbon economy, which lowers waste production, and makes processes greener.

00:08:12.660 Now, how can we utilize our tech skills to address this significant issue? We can help reduce emissions in other sectors, adapting our work to meet the demands brought by climate change. The likelihood is that our current work already contributes in some way. For instance, modernizing power grids to incorporate renewable sources and using energy efficiently in smart buildings or through IoT can help optimize the entire sector. Transport is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions, and software can significantly enhance the efficiency of personal transportation and logistics.

00:09:00.000 Technologies enabling telepresence and online meetings can reduce travel needs. Providing impactful and meaningful online alternatives to face-to-face meetings minimizes emissions, particularly from air travel. Implementing features like online conferences saves massive amounts of energy and associated emissions.

00:09:39.000 Additionally, we can look inward at our own contributions and encourage our organizations to adopt measures to reduce emissions. There are three crucial components to this: reporting, reducing, and offsetting. The first step is quantifying emissions and reporting them publicly when possible. For instance, to improve application speed or reduce errors, you have to measure—one cannot improve what one does not recognize. Identifying significant contributors to emissions is essential since insufficient metrics could focus efforts on marginal improvements.

00:10:15.000 So, how do we report emissions effectively? The GHG Protocol serves as the standard for reporting greenhouse gas emissions, breaking it down into three scopes: Scope 1 covers direct emissions, such as from company cars; Scope 2 encompasses the emissions from electricity consumption; and Scope 3 includes other indirect emissions, like those from business travel or cloud hosting. It's important to assess scope three accurately, accounting for all significant contributors to your overall emissions.

00:10:55.080 If your company lacks comprehensive infrastructure for measuring emissions, you can start small by counting whatever data you can access. Collaborating with your team to survey commute methods can help establish metrics. Once you have a clear picture of your organization's emissions, you can work on reducing them. Air travel often represents a significant proportion of company emissions. Reducing unnecessary flights and utilizing alternatives, like video conferencing, can mitigate impacts. In terms of efficiency, implementing motion sensors and employing energy-efficient devices will also help lessen emissions.

00:12:00.000 Make use of carbon-neutral hosting options whenever possible. You may want to use local resources whenever feasible, while looking into cloud services offering carbon-neutral zones for background processes. Contemplating the travel impacts when setting up off-site meetings is another necessity, as these can contribute significantly to your overall footprint.

00:12:58.040 Lastly, a crucial point: Bitcoin transactions emit over 200 kilograms of CO2. If you accept Bitcoin as payment, consider the environmental impact; a single transaction weekly leads to 11 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Reducing reliance on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin is one of the most effective measures you could take to decrease your carbon footprint.

00:13:57.020 Once you've assessed your emissions, you may want to declare your organization’s carbon neutrality by purchasing offsets. While these tend to be affordable, it’s vital to evaluate the quality of different options. When considering offsets, think about permanence, ensuring the projects you support will last. For example, if you invest in a reforestation initiative, it wouldn’t be effective if those trees were cut down in a decade.

00:14:40.000 Furthermore, assess whether the offset projects yield additional positive outcomes. For instance, does your investment lead to ecological benefits in addition to carbon offsets? Moreover, consider the implications of potential 'leakage'—can preserving one area inadvertently lead to deforestation elsewhere? Companies like Stripe have made efforts to strategize how they purchase offsets and ensure they are effective.

00:15:25.000 Although not all of us may possess executive backing to drive organizational change, we can still take initiative at a local level. For instance, if you're able to use company funds, consider offsetting your travel flights when booking. It's often a minor cost, low enough to add onto the total fare for the convenience it brings. I have also opted to pay a small fee to offset my flights between Wellington and Melbourne.

00:16:05.000 Another idea is to grow an office tree. While the permanence of tree growth may be uncertain, it stands as a positive symbol. By influencing other companies to adopt sustainable practices, we create more equitable dynamics in promoting the adoption of greener initiatives. It’s worth preferring service providers with better environmental policies, especially as cloud computing is a major contributor to corporate emissions.

00:17:05.080 While carbon costs might not be the only factor to consider in your service providers, you should be aware of them when reporting emissions. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Heroku all assert and offset their emissions, while AWS has yet to develop similar protocols. All of these companies have substantial power consumption, amounting to several terawatt-hours. They have committed to sourcing 100% renewable energy, often through purchasing agreements with renewable providers. However, this does not always align geographically with their consumption, leading to complications in actual impact.

00:18:10.080 Many tech companies aren’t filled with departments full of climate policy experts. However, small and innovative organizations are striving to do better, such as Stripe, which has developed fantastic environmental initiatives, providing clear steps for calculating and offsetting emissions. Able Tech in Wellington has also created accessible carbon calculation tools. A lot of companies are doing their utmost to balance their emissions and operate sustainably.

00:19:05.000 Some of you may be feeling the emotional toll of climate grief—a sadness intimately familiar to me. I expected that by spending three months researching this talk, I would only deepen my sorrow. Surprisingly, I have come to feel more hopeful about the situation. Allow me to share an optimistic perspective as I believe it will also help alleviate some of your feelings of despair.

00:19:31.500 While climate change is causing irreversible damage, we still have the capacity to make significant changes to our way of life and emissions. If we effectively cut down on our emissions and adjust our lifestyles, we can navigate the changing landscape. A world transformed looks daunting, but it is essential to remember that our world has always been in flux; it changes every century. Though we are part of the problem, we have the opportunity to be part of the solution as well.

00:20:05.000 By reducing our carbon footprint and creating means to help others do the same, we can not only adapt to a changing world but also thrive. Australia offers a unique opportunity because of its size and distinct positioning; we can experiment and innovate, demonstrating how to be efficient and conscious about our environmental impact. Thank you for your attention, and if you're interested, I have resources and references available online. Feel free to find me afterward if you want to discuss further matters regarding our responsibility to the planet.

RubyConf AU 2019