Chez Belady included representatives of some of the largest data center infrastructure operations from around the globe, including hyperscale executives from Apple, AWS, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. The people, the setting, and the commitment and passion of the attendees to do something together were unique. It was clear to everyone there that it had the potential to become something bigger than all of us.
At the meeting, we shared the challenge that we are all facing. The impact of climate change is all around us. We see it manifesting in extreme weather, massive wildfires, rising sea levels, and other global catastrophes caused by increasing temperatures in every corner of the world.
Our ecosystems are out of balance, and in the words of David Attenborough, time is running out. We shared that feeling as an industry and believe we need to take action now. We must lead by example. The digital infrastructure industry should lead in achieving planetary net zero.
Every one of the companies attending had their own ESG goals and was making significant strides to meet them. Our question for them was simple: What if we could align this group on a common industry goal to tackle climate change? The result could be shorter timelines and greater impact. 1+1 could equal 10.
At Chez Belady we agreed to stay focused on finding that one thing we could do together now. We spent six hours together at Christian’s home. Attendees broke into five groups to discuss and then report what each group found.
Six key themes emerged:
- We are all aligned on carbon reduction
- We need a common carbon accounting methodology
- We need legitimacy to speak on behalf of the industry
- Industry collaboration will compound our impact
- Hyperscalers drive market behavior
- Transparency is critical
On March 17, 2022, we brought the full advisory council back together remotely to review the results and agree on the one thing we will do together. The iMasons Climate Accord was born.
To read the full article, go to https://www.interglobixmagazine.com/one-on-one-with-the-chairman-and-founder-of-infrastructure-masons-dean-nelson/