Is the Internet free from greenhouse gases?

 

 

By Science Columnist Ho-Gwan Ko

 

 

Adults often say that the world has become very convenient. It actually has, especially as the Internet has become widespread and everyone has a smartphone.

You no longer have to go to a market or a store to buy something, you can search for good restaurants near you and get the food of your choice delivered, and you can watch the latest movies without going to the theater. That’s not all! In the past, it was like a permanent goodbye when someone left abroad, but nowadays, you can go face-to-face with video calls in real time.

Of course, however, such convenience is not free of charge. We’re not talking about money but the environment. It’s easy to think that using the Internet won’t be bad for the environment because you’re just sitting in the house. However, such digital activity also produces carbon dioxide, causing global warming.

 

but excessive use of it leads to climate change.

Internet companies such as Google and Facebook operate data centers. A data center is a facility where network or storage devices to provide Internet services are located. The more Internet services they provide, the larger data centers they need.

Data centers operate around the clock consuming a lot of electricity. They emit tremendous heat, which must be managed to prevent equipment failure. For this, cooling equipment runs 24/7, also consuming a lot of energy. Much of this electricity is produced by thermal power generation that burns fossil fuels and emits greenhouse gases. According to research, greenhouse gases generated due to data centers around the world make up about 2% of the entire greenhouse gas emissions. Considering the importance of the Internet in our life, this number is likely to increase rather than decrease.

Every single activity we do on the Internet contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. A single search on Google produces about 0.2 grams of carbon dioxide. Sending a single email emits about 4 grams. Attaching files like photos makes the number go up to dozens of grams.

The more data exchanged, the more carbon dioxide emitted. In that respect, streaming services are not good for climate change. The more videos you watch on YouTube or Netflix, the more carbon dioxide you generate, contributing to global warming. Watching a video on Netflix for 30 minutes produces about 1.6 kg of carbon dioxide, which is the same as driving a car 6 km.

The Internet generates carbon dioxide indirectly as well. Online shopping and food delivery are convenient because you don’t have to go outside. However, they result in the increase of the use of packaging materials and disposable products. Carbon dioxide is also generated when making packaging materials and disposable products, and the environment is polluted because they are usually made with plastic.

Nonetheless, it doesn't mean that we must go back to the past when we didn’t have the Internet. Instead, we need to find a way to enjoy the Internet while reducing our carbon dioxide emissions. Companies are researching how to increase the energy efficiency of data centers, to use renewable energy, and to redirect the heat that needs to be removed to other desired areas such as district heating.

As an individual, you can also do your part. Turn off computers not in use, and send texts instead of emails or messages if possible. If you have a video that you watch often, it's a better idea to download it instead of streaming it every time. It would be best to use the Internet only when absolutely necessary.

Think about what else you can do to save energy by looking at your habits. This is a must-do in order to enjoy the Internet for a long time.