The Sunday Times reported this morning that a Google search produces about 7 grams of carbon emissions. For comparison, that's roughly how much you release by breathing for 15 minutes.
I have a major problem with this kind of journalism. The internet is a complex system. What exactly did Alex Wissner-Gross include in this calculation? There are many parts of the internet that consume electricity or release carbon dioxide.
- User's computer and monitor
- Network infrastructure that connects the user to Google
- Google search farms
- Fans and air conditioners that cool all this equipment
- The manufacture, transport, and assembly of all this equipment
- Lights the technicians need to keep the routers and farm running
- The technicians' commute to work everday
- The technicians' lunches
- Light the user shines at their keyboard
How much does each part contribute to this total? Could we reduce emissions by optimizing specific parts? How much would reducing the number of Google searches reduce overall emissions? Should we be worried about this at all?
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