Data center emissions likely 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it keep up the ruse?
www.theguardian.com
Emissions from in-house data centers of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple may be 7.62 times higher than official figures
  • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de
    1·
    2 months ago

    are likely about 662% – or 7.62 times – higher than officially reported.

    This annoys me. If the value is 662% higher than reported, then it is also:

    • 6.62 times higher than reported
    • 762% as high as reported
    • 7.62 times as high as reported

    Whether you use percentage or a factor doesn’t change the principle. “as high” signals a new value that is a straight multiple, “higher than” signals a change that is a multiple, so always assume a base of 1 or 100% on which the change is added.

    By the way 1 and 100% is the exact same thing, and so is 662% and 6.62. Percent aren’t magical they are just a short form for saying hundredths of 1.

    In everyday speech they also signal that you’re talking about a fractional value in relation to a different one that is hopefully clear from context. But it isn’t always and people abuse that too.