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Data centres use over 1% of the world's electricity, and this demand continues to grow as digital storage increases. Although digital files feel invisible, they rely on physical infrastructures that run continuously to store, process, and maintain data - contributing to global energy consumption and carbon emissions.
This is not distant. At institutions like UAL, digital systems already contribute to measurable carbon emissions, and for many students - especially in creative disciplines - large numbers of files are produced, duplicated, and stored as part of everyday work.
Yet this impact is rarely considered. Files are kept not because they are all needed, but because deleting them feels uncertain, insignificant, or unnecessary.