Call me ignorant but it was not until recently that I found out about the impact that computers and the internet have on the environment.
According to CNN
"Calculating the carbon footprint of the entire web however is not as easy as measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of a car. Data centers, massive buildings housing hundreds, if not thousands, of power hungry servers storing everything from Facebook photos and YouTube videos to company web sites and personal emails are often labeled as the worst offenders when it comes to harming the environment. In 2002, global data center emissions amounted to 76 million tons of carbon dioxide, a figure that is likely to more than triple over the next decade, according to a 2008 study by the Climate Group and Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). The footprint of network infrastructure, which is responsible for transporting information from data centers to personal computers, mobile phones and other devices, is harder to pinpoint. However the same study estimates fixed broadband accounts for around four million tons of carbon emissions and could account for nearly 50 million tons of emissions by 2020. The manufacturing, transport and use of personal computers and laptops also has what some say is the most significant impact, producing roughly 200 million tons of emissions in 2002. As millions of people buy new laptops and computers every year, this figure could triple by the end of the next decade, according to the Climate Group report. And it is also true that, like driving a car compared to taking public transportation, some online activities produce more greenhouse gases than others. More electricity is needed to store, transmit and download a video compared to a simple email, for example. A single search using Google releases 0.2 grams of C02 into the atmosphere, according to Google".
By the numbers
Anti-virus software firm McAfee reports that the electricity needed just to transmit the trillions of spam emails sent annually equals the amount required to power over two million homes in the United States while producing the same level of greenhouse gas emissions as more than three million cars.
"Most people don't appreciate that the computer on your desk is contributing to global warming and that if its electricity comes from a coal power plant it produces as much C02 as a sports utility vehicle," said Bill St. Arnaud of Canarie, a Canada-based internet development organization.
"Some studies estimate the internet will be producing 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gases in a decade. That is clearly the wrong direction. That is clearly unsustainable," added St. Arnaud.
The solution:
For example, Google is using more renewable energy, recycled water and efficient software that requires less electricity to run. A number of other companies are also working to take the various pieces that comprise the infrastructure of the internet in a more sustainable direction. Wissner-Gross of Harvard has a company called C02Stats that enables businesses to monitor and manage the environmental impact of their web sites and then purchase renewable energy certificates based on their sites' monthly carbon footprint. Netherlands-based Cleanbits lobbies web sites to go green by either purchasing carbon offsets or switching to green hosting providers, like AISO.net, a solar-powered data center based in California. And, like Google, Yahoo also incorporates renewable power and other efficiency measures in its data centers.
We, at Euro-otc.com decided to go green by purchasing renewable energy certificates based on our site's monthly carbon footprint. You can now see on the right side bar of our blog that we are a Green certified site. It's a tiny contribution to the environment, and something to feel good about.
Antonio Johnson is the president of Euro-otc.com. Euro-otc.com is a team of experienced, knowledgeable and analytical specialists dedicated to achieving a company's desired result in accordance with its defined business aspirations.
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