Preparing for the worst case
A
s we write this, the world is dealing with an epidemic. Covid-19 is not the most deadly virus ever. It will only strike a small proportion of the world, but its spread has caught the imagination. When the virus subsides, we will still have to deal with its effects on our lives, form stock markets, airlines and hotels, down to schools and families. We will also have to continue to deal with the threats we already have on the table - and the biggest of those is climate change.
If your staff still work on live circuits, read what Uptime's Kevin Heslin has to say (p24) Data center operators have made very public efforts to limit their contribution to climate change, by reducing their dependence on fossilpowered electricity. But the human race is still emitting too much and global temperatures will still rise. Reports have revealed that a lot of digital infrastructure could be at risk form the effects of man-made climate change. Consider one basic fact: submarine cable landing stations, by definition, must be vulnerable to coastal flooding as sea levels rise. This issue our cover feature (p16) asks just how well-prepared our digital infrastructure is for the inevitable impact of climate change - for floods, droughts, and extreme storms.
It's smart to save energy, whatever the climate. Our Energy Smart event is due in Stockholm later this year, and we have a special supplement on ways to save energy more intelligently (p25). One piece of common sense around power distribution is to ban work on live circuits. If your organization still allows this, read what Uptime Institute's Kevin Heslin has to say (p24).
187m
From the Editor
Recycling a building can be a good
no. of people displaced if sea level rises by 2m before 2100 (Bamber et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2019)
way to reduce emissions. Concrete and new building materials are one of the world's big hidden polluters, so it's worth considering the alternatives (p64). But if you have to construct a new building there's lots to consider. Alex Alley visited NTT's forthcoming London facility to see how to prepare a new data center (p61).
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Deputy Editor Sebastian Moss @SebMoss Reporter Alex Alley SEA Correspondent Paul Mah @PaulMah Brazil Correspondent Tatiane Aquim @DCDFocuspt Head of Design Harriet Oakley Designer Mandy Ling Head of Sales Erica Baeta Conference Director, Global Rebecca Davison Conference Director, NAM Kisandka Moses Conference Producer, APAC Chris Davison Chief Marketing Officer Dan Loosemore
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users have very different needs. So how does Aligned Energy reckon it can satisfy both? CEO Andrew Schaap says the answer requires a different technology approach (p22).
Since our last issue, we've produced a digital supplement on the reality of the Edge. After a lot of generic coverage of the emerging sector, we thought it was time to look at specifics. So read about smart cities here (p41), and find the supplement online to learn of cars, shops... and mosquitos.
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The next decade might seem remote given the crises we now face, but we took time to ask our top contacts what they see coming up in the next ten years (p53). Do you agree with their answers? Let us know!
Peter Judge DCD Global Editor
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