Your Internet Use Also Has a Carbon Footprint
We are so used to computers and phones that they seem to be an extension of our brain – it’s not just me, right? A Google request comes back as quickly as a thought, and the information at my fingertips seems intangible, like the information in my brain.
But “cloud” is a metaphor; all of this data travels along very real and physical wires and courses from rack to rack in data centers. All of these machines (not to mention the air conditioners that keep them from overheating) use electricity. And this electricity has to come from somewhere.
The Internet exists and has a huge carbon footprint.
Artist Joana Moll developed a visualization called Defooooooooooooooooooorest to show how much carbon dioxide Google as a company produces over time. She estimates that one second of the company’s energy use is equivalent to what 23 trees can absorb. Quartz checked her numbers and found there was controversy about how to calculate the carbon footprint of constantly searching everything on Google. Google says that one person’s searches per month have the same impact as driving one mile. (They are also working to cut emissions and say the company is currently carbon neutral thanks to alternative energy and the purchase of carbon offset payments.)
However, Google does much more than just search. And your own carbon footprint from your search should include the energy to power your laptop or phone, for example. So take numbers with a grain of salt, but enjoy Defooooooooooooooooooorest as a reminder that the Internet is a real physical thing.