The Impact of the Internet: risks of the digital era

The last Blockbuster store remains in Oregon as of 2022, symbolising how we have truly shifted into a new era of digital transformation. And as many opt for alternatives in this hyper-digital world, we must also acknowledge the somewhat surprising effect that the internet has on the environment and whether the risks outweigh the positives.

With streaming services, innovative technology and even a global pandemic, the demand for digital technology continues to be on the rise. According to the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), 4.1 billion people or 56.6% of the world now uses the internet. The entire internet infrastructure (including the systems that enable it to exist and operate and the gadgets we use to connect to it) is responsible for approximately 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Data centres in the US alone are responsible for 2% of the country’s electricity use.

Around a decade ago, Alex Wissner-Gross, an environmental fellow at Harvard University claimed that two Google searches produces as much carbon dioxide as boiling the kettle for a cup of tea. Wissner-Gross highlighted that by Google fulfilling its primary aim to provide fast internet searches, it ultimately placed a burden on the amount of energy that is required. The Guardian interpreted this claim by Wissner-Gross to say that it would mean 3,500 tonnes of CO2 is released daily (or 1.28 million tonnes per year) just by using the infamous search engine. To allow more of a visual representation, they compared this to the carbon emissions produced by Laos, a country home to over 7 million citizens. Therefore, claiming that the digital era is ‘less energy-hungry’ may be a pretence as it could actually consume as much as it did around 20 years ago. However, in the past 10 years or so, some companies operating in this space have realised the need to meet their huge energy demands by using energy from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions they are responsible for. Carbon offsetting has also been funded by some of these corporations in order to reduce the impact on the planet of the emissions they are responsible for. What hasn’t changed though, and is in fact still increasing, is the huge amount of energy consumed by their activities, and consequently by our usage of the internet.

Web hosting can be described as a ‘rented home that a website lives in’, and being a carbon-neutral web host means making sustainable choices to safeguard the environment.   Thus, for activity on the website to be seen as sustainable, the ‘house’ the search is conducted in, the files are accessed from, and the data is stored in, must also follow sustainable practices. 

Data centres can be interpreted as one of the core issues of how the internet is contributing to the current climate crisis, as they account for around half a percent of global CO2 emissions. According to The Shift Project, data centres contribute up to 15% of the IT sector’s digital footprint. Furthermore, statistics show that Google has emitted 1.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2020, Microsoft emitted around 16 million tonnes, and Amazon emitted a whopping 44 million tonnes. With more than 197 million people searching products on Amazon everyday (which is about 98.5 million cups of tea, I might add), carbon-neutral web hosting may be a solution to this rising issue.

Krystal hosting has responsibly planted over 1 million trees with Ecologi and were recently presented with a sustainable award to celebrate this special milestone. Krystal uses 100% renewable electricity from sources like the sun, wind and sea, as opposed to non-renewable sources like coal, oil, and natural gas. In 2017, Krystal became one of the first hosts to be run wholly on renewable energy and each and every one of their data centres has also achieved a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) rating of at least 1.2, which is regarded as ‘very efficient’. Krystal will also be offsetting lifetime carbon emissions of their employees, which is approximately around 20,420 tonnes of CO2e.  

Simon Blackler, Krystal CEO and Founder, said that “Last year we co-founded MillionTreePledge.org and after planting 1.2 million trees via Ecologi in 9 months, we completed the first part of the pledge. We’ve now set our sights on protecting or planting 1 billion trees by 2030.” 

Simon went further to explain the impact of collective action and how “combined efforts of many businesses of all sizes, can and will, make the impact our planet so desperately needs.”

Ecologi readers wishing to use Krystal Hosting will be offered a 50% discount with code EcologiEarthDay22 during checkout, until the end of May. (T&C’s apply).

With 1.5 billion people using the net, it is no surprise that experts have estimated an annual growth of 10% in total energy footprints. 

A researcher at Lancaster university compared the use of the internet to the airline industry, stating that they both emitted ‘similar levels’ of carbon emissions. To put that in context, the aviation industry is responsible for 5% of global warming, accumulating around 32.6 billion tonnes of CO2e since 1940. To make matters worse, it is predicted that these emissions will double by 2025. Some predictions are indicative of the fact that the internet will actually contribute to 23% of global carbon emissions by 2030. 

80% of energy used worldwide is dependent on non-renewable energy sources, and so are the most searched websites. A study conducted at Yale identified how internet usage increased by up to 40% since lockdown occurred in 2020, and that the environmental implications from this may have been overlooked. The study mentions how a forest twice the size of Portugal would be required just to offset the emissions that occurred from 2020 to 2021, as a result of staying at home. In some way, the pandemic acted as a control variable, allowing experts to measure the impact that excess use of the internet has on the climate. 

Website Carbon can help you identify and measure how much carbon a website emits each time its homepage is visited. 

Changes made now are crucial to moving away from high levels of risk that the internet poses for the environment and prospective climate initiatives. Simple actions can help, such as carbon-neutral web hosting, avoiding the urge to send unnecessary emails or limiting the number of files we save but don’t necessarily need. Of course, these feel rather insignificant, but collectively they lead to large-scale impact. It’s mind-boggling to think that if everyone in the UK sent one less ‘thank you’ email, 16,433 tonnes of carbon could be saved in just one year. On top of that, did you know that the quality of streaming videos also affects the level of carbon emissions emitted? This means that if 70 million streaming subscribers reduced the quality of their video, 3.5 million tonnes of emissions could be avoided from entering our atmosphere. 

It’s not all sombre clouds and weeping willows when it comes to the internet! In fact, in many ways the internet has helped introduce the concept of sustainability to the wider population. Be it by blogs, websites, digital news outlets or social media platforms, the world today provides endless means to accessing information relating to climate change. In other words, the internet has reshaped our communication and the way that we connect environmental challenges with feasible solutions. 

The director of Yale’s climate change communications program, said that the percentage of Americans who now viewed global warming as important was a record-high 72% since 2018. Meanwhile, in 2020, it was reported that around three-quarters (76%) of adults living in the UK were worried about climate change. 

The concept of ‘conservation starts with education’ relays the importance of acknowledging the role that the internet plays in building environmental awareness. In fact, a study conducted by Southern Cross University revealed that 77% of individuals were eager to learn about living a sustainable lifestyle. Whilst, an incredible 93% voiced concerns about the future of the planet. 

We can visibly measure the impact that digital communication has on the environment from turnouts for World Cleanup days, protests, and demonstrations continuing to increase exponentially. This influx of support has been thought to be generated predominantly by Gen Z, who appear to have a huge impact on leading brands due to their high purchasing power. 

Not just that, the surge of young climate activists who appear on social media has captivated the attention of millions around the world. According to the UNFCCC, ‘Young people are key actors in raising awareness’. These individuals make appearances at major climate events, such as COP26 and are involved in discussions with world leaders to make a real change to their future. By gaining momentum on their following, these young activists have been able to pressure governments and businesses into meeting their environmental targets and agreements. 

Recently, two sisters were able to convince Kellogs, a multinational company dominating over 30% of the market share for breakfast cereals, to halt their use of unsustainable palm oil. This occurred as a result of a petition they started online, which was inspired by a documentary the girls had previously watched. Therefore, the internet has not only played a massive role in educating younger generations about the dangers of unsustainable practices, but has also provided them with a platform to voice their concerns.

There is no doubt that the internet has helped connect us to the bigger picture and offered opportunities to make a real change. However, there’s also no denying the negative impact that the internet continues to have on the climate. Technology is only expanding, individuals are looking for newer and better digital designs and businesses are seeking ways in which they can increase their efficiency. All this places a huge amount of pressure on our planet and moving forward, this must be accounted for. 

We cannot stop anyone from using the internet, that is a given, but we can all be more responsible in how we send emails, save files, or watch videos. In the same way we replaced plastic straws and bags with reusable materials, let’s do our best to make our use of the internet a sustainable one.

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