China’s internet firms have fallen behind global peers in sourcing energy from clean, renewable sources, with soaring use of internet data driving up energy demand and carbon emissions, environmental group Greenpeace said in a report on Thursday.
As capacity rises rapidly, the internet data sector could account for a third of total global power demand within two decades, putting tech giants in China and elsewhere under heavy pressure to find cleaner sources of electricity.
But while some of China’s tech firms are procuring clean energy through rooftop solar installations or via a pilot green power certificate scheme, most have failed to match the commitments made by overseas rivals, Greenpeace said.
