It’s easy to think that internet activity occurs in a virtual space that doesn’t impact upon the ‘real’ physical world. Yet, browsing online, uploading images, streaming music, or watching videos – each of these seemingly mundane activities carries a hidden cost: a small but measurable amount of carbon dioxide is emitted.
Each Google search generates approximately 0.2 grams of CO2, while a single ChatGPT query produces around 4.32 grams. These numbers may appear small, but when multiplied by billions – searches, messages, and interactions all over the world the cumulative impact is staggering.
In fact, the internet’s carbon footprint is immense, the infrastructure supporting it accounts for about 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions—a figure equivalent to the emissions of the aviation industry!
Activities like streaming, gaming, cryptocurrency and, latterly, generative AI further drive up emissions, as they rely heavily on energy-hungry intensive computer processing that, regrettably, still predominantly depends on non-renewable energy sources.
All is not lost however! There are actually some surprisingly simple ways to reduce your personal online Carbon Footprint. Eg.
- Efficient Searching: Employ precise search terms to minimize the number of queries. Consider utilizing eco-conscious search engines such as Ecosia, which allocates a portion of its ad revenue to tree planting initiatives.
- Streaming Quality: Opt for lower video resolutions when streaming content. For instance, selecting 480p over 1080p can substantially decrease energy consumption.
- Download Over Streaming: For frequently accessed content, downloading it once is more energy-efficient than repeated streaming
- Inbox Maintenance: Regularly deleting unnecessary emails and unsubscribe from unread newsletters to reduce storage-related energy consumption.
- File Compression: Compress files and share links rather than sending large attachments
- Cloud Cleanup: Periodically review and delete redundant files from cloud storage to minimize data center usage
- Browser Extensions: Install extensions that block energy-intensive advertisements and tracking scripts.
- Tab Management: Close unused browser tabs to reduce both local and remote computational load.
- Green Hosting Solutions: If managing a website, select hosting providers that utilize renewable energy sources
- Digital Breaks: Incorporate regular screen-free intervals to reduce energy consumption and enhance mental well-being
- More Efficient Virtual Meetings: Prefer audio-only calls or lower video quality during virtual meetings to decrease data usage
It’s strange to think that simple things like deleting emails and closing browser tabs can reduce your Carbon Footprint- but they do!
Equally such things as deleting photos in iCloud- it’s easy to keep many copies of essentially the same photo when you trying to get one right – but they all take up space on servers, which require energy.
In the end, like most activities in the modern world, there is a Carbon Cost to using the internet, but it’s also nice to know there are small easy things you can do that make a difference!
Joy in Enough 