The recent report by Berkley Labs finally provided proof that cloud computing is a big saver of carbon emissions.  However, Microsoft will not let them have the last word.

“As cloud computing ramps up, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent, leading to savings of more than $2.2 billion, according to a study sponsored by Microsoft Europe and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). Expanding cloud usage beyond the basics to large-scale information and communication technology (ICT) will scale those savings up to $1.2 trillion…”

Researchers from Harvard University, Imperial College and Reading University looked at the cloud’s impact on lowering GHG in Europe, Brazil, China, Canada, and Indonesia.  “They claim that energy usage will drop by 11.2 TWh annually when 80 percent of public and private organizations in those regions opt to provide cloud-based email, customer relationship management (CRM) and groupware solutions to their staff, going beyond current levels of adoption.”

Of course, this jives with other recent research studies.  However, Microsoft is a public cloud provider.  You have to consider the fact that they have a vested interest in the cloud being environmentally friendly.