U.S. gamers generate 24 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually, according to a 2019 study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That’s about the same greenhouse gas impact as the annual emissions from 5 million cars. And with more than 3 billion gamers worldwide, game developers and the data centers they rely on need to make rapid changes to reduce their footprint. Drawdown Labs recently released “A Drawdown-Aligned Framework for the Gaming Industry,” a set of recommendations on how gaming companies help solve climate change through not just actions to reduce their emissions but by encouraging gamers to embrace environmental responsibility during gameplay. Two contributors to the guide, Aiyana Bodi, senior associate at Drawdown Labs, and Paula Escuardra, a senior UX strategist for Cloud Gaming at Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, join the conversation to discuss the new recommendations.
Even if the gaming industry accounts for only a fraction of one percent of total annual emissions, every slight improvement in efficiency will contribute to progress. More importantly, the example set by the tech industry can inspire changes in other companies that want to remain competitive and attractive to climate-concerned customers. The lessons learned from gaming’s transition can inspire changes in renewable energy, inform the development of a comprehensive approach to measuring Scope 3 emissions in other industries, and demonstrate the financial and brand benefits of becoming environmentally responsible. Read the report at drawdown.org/publications/a-drawdown-aligned-framework-for-the-gaming-industry, and learn more about Project Drawdown, which was founded by environmentalist Paul Hawken (hear our interview), at drawdown.org.
