Powering the Internet: Your Virtual Carbon Footprint

Introduction

• The Internet contributes significantly to global CO2 emissions.
• The lecture explores the carbon footprint associated with Internet activities, highlighting the environmental impact of our digital habits.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

• Refers to the total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, produced to support human activities.
• Measured in equivalent tons of CO2.
• Internet contributes to these emissions.

How Does the Internet Produce CO2?

• Digital technologies account for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Sources of Emissions:
  1. Physical servers in data centers.
  2. Undersea cables, switches, and routers requiring energy.
  3. Energy primarily from coal, natural gas, and petroleum.
• Technology and Manufacturing:
  • Emissions from manufacturing and shipping hardware like servers, computers, and smartphones.

CO2 Emissions by Country

• Investigated correlation between number of Internet users and CO2 emissions.
• Top 5 countries by Internet users:
  1. China: 854 million users, 27% of global CO2 emissions.
  2. India: 560 million users, 6.8% of global CO2 emissions.
  3. United States: 313 million users, 15% of global CO2 emissions.
  4. Indonesia: 171 million users, 1.4% of global CO2 emissions.
  5. Brazil: 149 million users, 1.3% of global CO2 emissions.

Global CO2 Produced Daily by the Internet

• YouTube:
  • 1 billion hours watched/day, 6 billion grams of CO2.
  • Equivalent to driving to the moon 62 times.
• Email:
  • 306 billion emails sent/received daily, 1.2 trillion grams of CO2.
  • Equivalent to driving to the moon 12,000 times.
• Facebook:
  • 1.7 billion daily active users, 1.3 billion grams of CO2.
  • Equivalent to driving to the moon 13 times.
• Google Search:
  • 3.5 billion searches daily, 700 million grams of CO2.
  • Equivalent to driving to the moon 7 times.
• Tweeting:
  • 500 million tweets daily, 100 million grams of CO2.
  • Equivalent to driving to the moon 1 time.
• Texting:
  • 18.7 billion texts sent daily, 261.8 million grams of CO2.
  • Equivalent to driving to the moon 3 times.

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Online

• Strategies to Reduce CO2:
  1. Switch to Cloud Computing: Can cut CO2 emissions by 50%.
  2. Lower Monitor Brightness: Saves up to 20% of energy.
  3. Adjust Power Settings: Laptops use much less energy in sleep mode.
  4. Unplug Devices: Even powered down devices draw energy if plugged in.
  5. Download Instead of Stream: Pulls data from servers only once.

Conclusion

• The collective impact of individuals taking small steps can significantly reduce the overall carbon footprint.
• Encourages readers to share the infographic and engage in more eco-friendly digital habits.