The Role of Carbon Lifecycle Assessments in Cloud Sustainability

This technical report discusses the environmental impact of cloud computing and the significance of carbon lifecycle assessments (LCAs) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions associated with software and cloud infrastructure. It outlines the challenges of quantifying emissions from cloud services, emphasizing the need for transparent measurement methodologies. The report details how LCAs can identify emission hotspots, facilitating targeted carbon reduction actions for software manufacturers and cloud providers. It also examines the paradox of cloud adoption, which, while promoting efficiency and innovation, contributes to rising emissions. The report presents two primary methodologies for conducting LCAs: process-based life cycle analysis (P-LCA) and environmentally extended input-output life cycle analysis (IO-LCA), highlighting their strengths and limitations. Furthermore, it introduces hybrid life cycle assessments (H-LCA) as a method to combine the advantages of both approaches, aiming for a comprehensive understanding of emissions across the entire lifecycle of cloud services and software development.