When it comes to surfing the net, one person’s power usage may seem tiny. But it all adds up, especially when 69% of the world uses the internet.
Most people don’t consider the massive infrastructure behind the networks that serve the modern web.
Vast arrays of servers need to be powered and cooled so we’re able to watch kitten gifs or upload pictures of our dinner…
Here’s some facts and figures about the internet’s contribution to global warming:
- The internet is responsible for around 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- This is more than that produced by the airline industry: 2.05%
- This amounts to 400 g of CO2 emitted by every person on the planet
- Internet usage rises every year is, and is expected to rise by more than five times from 2023 to 2033
- Video streaming – Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video etc. – accounts for 60% of global data traffic
How much energy is required for…?
The following figures are found in this fantastic article by Energuide.be.
A data centre
A single router uses 10 kW, and a large data centre could use 100 MW. That’s 10% of the output of a thermal power station!
These figures are averages: 20i data centres have an ultra-efficient power usage efficiency of 1.2 and consume less power with no compromise to performance.
An email
A typical email emits around 0.3 g of CO2 throughout its lifecycle. If you create and send 20 emails a day over a year, that’s roughly 2.2 kg of CO2 – the same emissions as a car travelling 15 km.
A web search
That’s 0.3 Wh or 0.2 g of CO2. It’s been estimated that if you make the global average of 2.8 searches a day you’d emit 190 g of equivalent CO2 each year.
A further 0.24 Wh and 0.03 g CO₂ is added if the search results include AI summaries.
Watching an hour of streaming TV
It may be a nature documentary, but it doesn’t help nature: around 55g of CO2 equivalent.
One year’s web browsing
The average internet user spends about 3,230 hours online each year, generating roughly 229 kg of CO₂ – about the same climate impact as driving a typical car 1,390 km.
Other internet-related industries
Online shopping, while convenient, adds to the burden of the global supply chain. Plus there’s the production and distribution of the devices that everyone uses to access the web.
Then there’s the manufacturing of all the internet infrastructure: data centres, cables, even sending up satellites.
20i green hosting
What can we do to reduce our internet carbon footprint as individuals?
One small step would be to consider using a hosting provider who runs efficient data centres on renewable energy. If you want to check this for your hosting, look up your site at the Green Web Foundation.
20i’s green web hosting is powered 100% renewable power: solar, wind and biofuel.
By investing in our hosting, you’re investing in our planet. You’ll get better website performance without contributing to carbon use.
61% of consumers see sustainability as a key priority when choosing digital tools & services, find out more in our exclusive green survey results.
Read more about our green web hosting or browse our WordPress Hosting, Managed Hosting or VPS.