Video game companies engage against climate change, but critics say they need to do more

In a few generations, after climate change has more visibly ravaged the Earth, the easiest way for humanity to interact with lush forests and frozen glaciers could be video games. It's a dark future, maybe a sci-fi potential, but not improbable; according to some analyzes, we have only 12 years left to eliminate catastrophic climate change.

Yet, just when games are proving to be tempting vehicles for environmental escape, the harsh reality is that the gaming industry is making a significant contribution to the demolition of our planet.

Game consoles use minerals extracted with the help of techniques that can leave toxic water. Equipment manufacturing plants produce huge amounts of energy and chemicals. Consoles and games deliveries are based on supply chains around the world, which in turn depend on fuel for aircraft and trucks. Each year, PC gamers use 75 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, or 25 power plants, according to retired scientist Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Evan Mills. And then there is the electronic waste. When the PlayStation 5 comes out, your PlayStation 4 could become an electronic waste, reintroducing chemicals into the environment. According to Greenpeace, in 2017, there was enough electronic waste to bury San Francisco under a meter of used electronics.

In this context, it is difficult to envision a world where video games are anything but disastrous for the environment. And yet, yesterday, at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, 21 gaming companies, including Sony and Microsoft, announced an industry initiative to tackle climate change, titled Playing for the Planet. In what could be a momentous public relations move or a serious effort to change the tides of the global climate disaster, these companies have made pledges of reducing supply chain emissions. from 30% from here 2030 to, a little less impressive, "In the playgrounds.

Playing for the Planet says the commitments they have received from gaming companies will help reduce CO2 emissions by 30 million tonnes by 2030. Here are some of them, described in the Playing for the press release. Planet:

• Sony Interactive Entertainment will unveil new progress and plans to use energy-saving technology (poised to avoid 29 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030), to introduce the low-power sleep mode of Energy for the next-generation PlayStation, to evaluate and report its carbon footprint and to raise awareness and inspire the community of players to take action to combat climate change.
• Microsoft will announce the expansion of its operational commitment to carbon neutrality, established in 2012, in its devices and games. It will set a new target of cutting 30% of its emissions in the supply chain by 2030, including end-of-life devices, and certifying 825,000 Xbox consoles as carbon neutral in the world. framework of a pilot program. In addition, Microsoft will engage players in real-world sustainability efforts through Minecraft's Building a Better World initiative, which has enabled players to achieve more than 20 million actions in the game.
• Google Stadia, due to be launched later this year, will produce a new Sustainable Gaming Development Guide as well as funding research on how "green thumbs" can be effectively integrated into the game.
• Supercell (Clash of clans) will make up for the entire footprint of their community, Rovio (angry Birds) offset the carbon impact of players charging their devices, and Sybo (Subway surfer) and Space Ape (Expressway) will offset 200% of the mobile energy consumption of their studios and players. Guidance documents will help other companies to take similar action.
• Wild work (Animal Jam) will incorporate restoration elements into games and, as Green Man Gaming, they will focus on restoring some of the world's forests with major tree planting initiatives.
• Ubisoft will develop green themes in the game and purchase materials from environmentally friendly factories.
• Interactive Sports will eliminate 20 tons of packaging by switching from plastic to a recycled alternative for all future versions of Football Manager.

The commitments of Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive, Activision Blizzard and King – four of the largest video game companies – are notably absent from the list. Kotaku contacted these companies to find out why and did not hear from them.

Evan Mills, a retired senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who has studied the impact of the game on the environment, applauded the alliance's efforts in a press release, noting that Intel, AMD and NVIDIA were absent . "The focus seems to be primarily on the console game space, which is significant because consoles consume a lot more energy than desktop games. That said, major manufacturers of desktop and console games components are not among the participants, "he said. Gaming companies are often allergic to taking a stand.

Microsoft and Sony have announced some of the most radical changes. In an article published earlier this week on a blog, Microsoft justified its decision to reduce its emissions in the supply chain and move from its carbon-neutral activities to carbon-neutral products by stating: "It's clear, given of science, that the objectives must be even more ambitious than those of Paris. According to Sony's blog, the PlayStation 5 "will include the ability to suspend the game with much lower power consumption than the PS4." If one million users allow it, he adds, "It would save the equivalent of the average electricity consumption of 1,000 US homes."

The report of the initiative on how the game "can offer benefits for people and the environment" goes easy enough for companies that manufacture consoles and games – in its terms, "the under – the fastest growing segment of data use. "The video game industry move to sustainable development," begins the report before stating its two key directives: forest restoration and reforestation goals, and "incentives" that drive businesses and individuals toward more respectful choices on the planet. " contents Games can be used to educate players about climate change. The report never refers to the word "minerals" and does not discuss significantly the carbon footprint of the game until page 20 of 25.

There is a question of responsibility. The commitments are good, but not without result. Although the alliance consists of many different members, ranging from game developers to retailers, Sam Barratt, the UN's representative for the environment, said at Kotaku that Playing for the Planet says that responsibility is possible. "The alliance will facilitate the sharing of best practices, ensure commitments are met, and involve other key partners in this sector."

When asked if the Playing for the Planet report or the commitments made in this initiative went far enough, Gary Cook, author of the Greenpeace Guide on Greener Electronics, said: KotakuIn large part, no. It's great that a lot of companies are saying, "Hey, we're concerned about climate change and want to take action," but most of the actions they're taking here will not move the needle and will not reflect the significant impact of climate change. the game industry on the environment. "According to Cook, unless gaming companies recognize this significant impact," they only give voice to a problem without actually doing anything. "

Cook's main concerns are manufacturing, use-phase energy consumption and the impact of waste (less than 20% of electronic products are recycled, according to a report from the United Nations University, which has a impact on demand for mining materials such as cobalt). Cook cited a recent study claiming that games account for 5% of residential electricity use. And while some companies such as Google are looking for a future where the processing load will shift from home electronics to the cloud, Cook adds, "Your local energy consumption may not be as good as it gets." not changed, but you consume as much energy as one or three refrigerators from the manufacturer. Cloud side. (Google recently made the largest renewable energy purchase of history, but the impact of the game in the Cloud is not mentioned in the report Playing for the Planet.)

"Many of their future customers are really concerned about climate change and are demanding that governments and businesses take action and treat them as if urgently," Cook said of the game companies.

Yesterday, Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist, pronounced the words "How dare you!"In front of the Hall of International Leaders gathered for the United Nations Climate Summit, General Z's cursed future felt closer than ever. His speech focused on the tail of the huge global climate change strike, led by millions of young people. Generation Z is stepping up pressure and lobbying leaders to make the right decisions, while being considered the most technologically dependent generation to date.

Game companies will have to take into account the concerns of their consumers. At the same time, they should not shirk the responsibility of subverting the climate catastrophe on their customers when companies constitute the "structure" of "structural change".