Our latest article from the BEVA Sustainability Working Group explains the seemingly small, but potentially far reaching impact of using the internet.
Information and communications technology (ICT) uses approximately 10% of global energy demand1, accounting for 4% of global carbon emissions2.
The internet has become integral to both our personal and professional lives, including everything from emails, websites and social media, to online meetings and online shopping. Although the impact of these individual things is small, we use the internet A LOT.
For example, a single Google search emits between 0.2 and 7 g of CO2. Considering the fact that 40,000 Google searches are performed every second, this quickly adds up.
What can I do?
Whilst the impact of each individual action is small, we can all play a part in reducing the impact of ICT. Here are five easy wins to begin with:
1. Clear your cloud – Emails and remotely stored files require huge data centres. In the US, data centres are responsible for 2% of the country’s electricity use, while globally they account for just under 200 terawatt Hours (TWh)3. By deleting old emails and clearing unused files, we can each significantly reduce this impact.
2. Use Ecosia – As mentioned above, the average Google search emits between 0.2 and 7 g of CO2. In contrast, Ecosia’s servers run on 200% renewable energy, and every search request removes 1kg of CO2 from the atmosphere. They also use their profits to plant trees4.
3. Switch off video on virtual meetings – A study by Purdue University found that switching off your video in online meetings can reduce your carbon emissions by 96%!
4. Build a sustainable website – The average website accounts for the emission of about 2 g CO2 every time someone visits a page. Whilst this may seem like a small figure, the impact quickly adds up. The size of the average webpage has increased four-fold between 2011 and 20215, with more websites including data-heavy features such as images, videos and animations. Fortunately, companies such as Kakadu creative (https://www.kakaducreative.com/sustainable-web-design/) are beginning to appear, and offer services including more sustainable website design.
5. Switch to a 100% renewable energy supplier – Ultimately, the energy we use must be generated somewhere. By switching to a fully renewable supplier, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. For more information, see https://bigcleanswitch.org/business/
Although its impact is often hidden, our reliance on ICT continues to grow. By making small changes, we can significantly reduce this impact, and pave the way to a greener future!
For more information, see:
1. Jones, N. How to stop data centres from gobbling up the world’s electricity. Nature 561, 163–166 (2018).
2. EFWA. Eco-friendly web design: how to reduce your website’s carbon footprint. Eco-Friendly Web Alliance https://ecofriendlyweb.org/eco-friendly-web-design-how-to-reduce-your-websites-carbon-footprint/ (2022).
3. Griffiths, S. Why your internet habits are not as clean as you think. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as-you-think.
4. Szczurek, A. The Secret Environmental Impact of the Internet | iiE News. Investors In The Environment https://www.iie.uk.com/news/the-secret-environmental-impact-of-the-internet/ (2022).
5. Teague, J. The 2021 Web Almanac: Page Weight. The 2021 Web Almanac vol. 3 https://almanac.httparchive.org/en/2021/page-weight (2021).