Peter Hayles, Product Marketing Manager, Europe at Western Digital, discusses the crucial ways data can be utilised to create a more sustainable future.

In an age where environmental challenges grow more pressing by the day, the power of data has emerged as one of the most promising tools for contributing to a more sustainable future.

From tracking endangered species to optimising renewable energy systems, data-driven technologies are transforming how we understand and protect the planet.

By leveraging advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT), it is now possible to monitor environmental changes in real-time, predict the impacts of climate change and make smarter decisions about resource use and conservation efforts.  

As with most complex problems, diverse information is key to understanding the challenges ahead.

Data serve as crucial knowledge repositories for scientists and decision-makers, offering insights into current conditions and informing action plans.

And as nearly every digital action in the world runs through a data centre somewhere, cloud service providers, hyperscalers, and organisations need optimised mass storage devices such as hard disk drives (HDDs) as the backbone of their infrastructure to harness the potentials of this information.   

What data can tell us about climate change  

Public and private entities are leveraging existing information to study impacts on the planet.

Real-time monitoring of deforestation, rising sea levels and wildlife migration based on satellite data and sensors allow scientists and policymakers to understand the scale of the changing climate.   

In the UK, for example, data plays an increasingly important role in conserving biodiversity and protecting fragile ecosystems.

For years, the hedgehog populations have been declining in the UK countryside.

Advanced information collection techniques, like GPS tags and motion-activated cameras, allow researchers to track the animals’ movements, identify safe habitats and assess the impact of urban development with the overall goal of saving the species from extinction.

Beyond insights about the animals themselves, the collected data gives insights and tools to protect the health of their ecosystems and predict disease outbreaks or otherwise invisible environmental stresses.   

Furthermore, data helps with climate modelling and natural disaster prediction.

Both big data and AI are used to forecast future climate scenarios and assess the potential impacts of global warming.

In addition, data from seismic activity and weather patterns is analysed to foresee hurricanes, floods, or other natural disasters, helping to mitigate damage.   

The UK has long been affected by flooding, with major events occurring throughout its history. However, climate change is intensifying the problem.

Rising sea levels, more intense rainfall patterns and increasing urbanization are all contributing to the growing threat of flooding.   

In response to the growing risk of flooding, businesses and the government are taking proactive measures to protect communities and infrastructure.

A key element of this is geospatial analysis, which provides invaluable insight into flood risk assessment, forecasting and management.  

By using data (including topographic maps, satellite imagery, hydrological data) from networks of cameras, satellites and drones, experts can identify flood-prone areas based on factors such as elevation, soil type and proximity to water bodies, model and simulate flood scenarios, monitor flood events by tracking their progression in real time and assess flood damage.

This data is also crucial when it comes to informing the public through flood warnings and notifications.  

Beyond monitoring current environmental shifts, data plays a crucial role in shaping sustainable strategies for the future.   

Planning a more sustainable future  

Data sets are also crucial in planning for a more sustainable future.

From optimising resource use and promoting circular economy to reducing carbon footprint and empowering policymaking, data-driven insights allow businesses and the government to meet environmental challenges and achieve sustainability goals.    

One example of this is the agricultural landscape in the UK, which has been transformed in recent years by the rapid introduction of digital technologies and smart farming methods.

This change has been driven by the need for greater efficiency, sustainability and productivity in the face of increasing food demands and environmental concerns.  

With the UK population set to grow by five million within the next 10 years, the need for nutrition without depleting natural resources calls for more efficient planning and use of resources.

Satellite-based crop health monitoring, AI-driven farm management advisory systems, advanced fleet and resource management and carbon footprint tracking for sustainable agriculture are helping to create robust agricultural databases that enable farmers to make data-driven decisions and optimise their operations with unprecedented precision.   

Beyond the individual farm, data also contributes to more sustainable planning.

Analytics are the foundation for optimising the agricultural supply chain by predicting demand and adjusting production, streamlining logistics and transport, improving product traceability and optimising stock management.

These improvements lead to reduced post-harvest losses, better product quality, increased customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and overall sustainability.  

The backbone of data-driven decision making  

Data is crucial to help protect the fragile ecosystems and plan for a more sustainable future.

Collected and analysed information help to democratise environmental data, inform stakeholders about the status quo and empower policy makers to create evidence-based policies for conservation, emission reduction and sustainability initiatives.

As these data volumes continue to grow exponentially, the infrastructure required to store and process this information must keep pace. This is where high-capacity, energy-efficient storage solutions like HDDs come into play.   

While flash storage often gets the attention, it is HDDs that are the unsung heroes of any industry, storing the vast quantities of the generated data in data centres around the world.

In fact, HDDs are powering almost 80 percent of the cloud⁶ and are the silent, steady workhorses of today’s storage environments.

They are optimised for mass storage and give hyperscalers, cloud service providers, and businesses of all sizes a scalable, efficient and cost-effective option to store their vast amounts of information.   

New developments in HDD technology help these companies to save and use their data in a more sustainable manner.

Innovations like helium-sealed drives, OptiNAND technology, UltraSMR and energy-assist drives have all contributed to delivering improved capacity, performance, low power, and reliability at scale.

Conventional magnetic recording (CMR) HDDs, for example, are now pushing capacity up to 26 terabytes (TB) while shingled magnetic recording (SMR) HDDs are resulting in even greater capacities of up to 32TB.

Utilising greater storage density results in reduced power, cooling and real estate in the data centre, helping organisations lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and meet sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives.  

As we advance in climate action, data will continue to serve as our greatest ally.

With the right tools like advanced analytics, AI, and optimised mass storage solutions like HDDs, we can continue to pave the way for more sustainable actions and building a more climate-friendly world.    

This article was originally published in the March 2025 Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.