What it is
Cloud Carbon Footprint is an open-source tool developed by Thoughtworks that estimates the energy consumption and carbon emissions of cloud computing workloads across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. It converts cloud usage data into kilowatt-hours and CO2 equivalent using power usage effectiveness (PUE) factors and regional grid carbon intensity data. The tool provides dashboards and API endpoints for integrating carbon into engineering workflows.
Why we picked this
Cloud computing accounts for roughly 1% of global electricity consumption and growing. Most organizations have no idea what their cloud carbon footprint actually is. This open-source tool provides the measurement capability that cloud providers' built-in tools lack in transparency and cross-platform comparison. It is the starting point for any engineering team serious about reducing compute emissions.
Key takeaways
- Cloud Carbon Footprint can estimate emissions retroactively from billing data, requiring no code changes or infrastructure modifications to start measuring.
- The tool reveals that instance type, region, and utilization patterns matter more than cloud provider choice for carbon optimization.
- Organizations using the tool have reported identifying 20-40% emission reduction opportunities through right-sizing, region selection, and workload scheduling.