Your Internet Usage has A carbon Footprint
Your internet usage has a carbon footprint. This means that how you live Online has an impact on how you live Offline. Seems everything we do has a carbon footprint. So we are required to calculate our carbon footprint and embrace ways to reduce it. Or keep it as low as possible.
What is the internet’s carbon footprint?
You may tend to think about how this is possible. After all, its just internet. The movies, tv shows, emails, songs, etc. How does that emit greenhouses gases?
Internet’s carbon footprint is contributed by work behind the scenes. The servers that make it possible for you to get the end product. These serves are powered by various types of energy which is mostly not clean. And they run 24/7.
After all, no one likes internet outages. Or else we will shower the internet providers customer cares with all the mean words we have in our heads.
Some of the contributors to carbon footprint in internet usage
- Streaming of entertainment materials. From music, movies, tv shows, talks, podcasts, etc. Almost all platforms offering these services, allow their users to stream stuff. We no longer go for the idea of downloading them. The internet bundles have also been made pocket-friendly thus attracting more clients.
Do you even remember the last time you downloaded something for entertainment? Downloading feels like a caveman thing to do. Yet its much needed to reduce on the internet carbon footprint.
- How many newsletters have signed up to? Are you still interested in all of them? Or just continue receiving them while deleting? Its time you started unsubscribing in newsletters that you no longer want to get news from.
- Emails. I read in an article that you can simply cut down your internet carbon footprint by simply meeting someone in person rather than writing them an email. And its important to also be keen on what transport to use, to not emit more greenhouse gases during your transit.
If it’s not a must to reply to all. Don’t hit the reply to all button while replying to your emails. Also, avoid attaching heavy files to your emails.
- Do you switch off your computer or laptop when not in use? Not only will you save power usage but also avoid creating any internet carbon footprint. If you will be away from your desk for a while, always switch off your machine completely. Not leaving them on sleep mode, that too consume power.
- Electronic devices usage. If you are just searching for something online, go for your phone or tablet, and not a laptop or desktop. This is because they use less energy compared to the bigger devices.
Conclusion
It’s clear that How you live Online has an impact on how you live Offline. It may be a cool afternoon good for streaming a movie or two. As you prepare popcorns to lighten up the mode, download that movie and watch it offline. It will help you have a less carbon footprint tomorrow.
Internet is one of the best things that happened to us, making our planet one amazing tiny village. But we should be careful to note at what cost.
Let us use it with care, considering each step we move with it. Whatever we can avoid, let us do exactly that. With that, we can be able to reap the good fruits of the internet and minimize the bad ones.
This is so interesting. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much