Just because we cannot see the pollution, like how we can for planes, cars, industries, oil factories, etc., doesn't mean that there is no effect of the internet on our environment.
A lot of energy is consumed and emitted in managing and operating the internet. The technology sector is expected to produce around 14% of global emissions by 2040.
Each data centre facility (or simply, the cloud) spread across the globe processes and stores millions of pieces of information in fractions of seconds. This requires lots of power, which majorly acts for cooling systems.
If we look at a 12-megawatt facility, its energy is equivalent to 50,000 households in a year. Half, if not more of that energy goes towards the cooling systems in the data centre.
Other sources of digital carbon footprint are:
- Smartphones, computers, printers, modems, routers or the internet cables themselves contribute to digital carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of equipment includes raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation and distribution.
- Electronic hardware devices that are also discarded after use or when damaged, end up in landfills leaving a trail of carbon footprint.
- Use of equipment, i.e. electricity needed to charge phones or laptops, or to use routers or modems.
- Data transfer and data storage in data centres consume huge amounts of electricity which leave considerable amounts of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
- The largest share of the digital footprint is caused by video streaming due to large data sizes of videos.
There's no denying that we need data centres, but they pose a significant reason as to why the internet uses so much power. There are more than 500 hyperscale data centres (large warehouses hosting tens of thousands of server racks) in the world.
Organizations and companies can work towards implementing sustainable practices and technology to reduce their carbon footprint from this source.