It may seem odd to think that something like a simple Google search could pollute the atmosphere, but Google actually has a pretty large environmental impact. How?
Well, Google has huge data centers across the country, where it stores its servers. These centers are enormous, and consume a lot of energy. When you search using Google, your search is relayed to thousands of servers, which compete with each other to give you the list of search results. The average search generate 7 grams of CO2, and there are an estimated 200 million searches conducted a day worldwide (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479127,00.html).
According to Gartner analysts, Google generates about the same amount of greenhouse gases as the airlines -- about 2% of global emissions. Google claims to be an environmentally-friendly company, but they are more concerned with quick search results which use more energy.
And Google is certainly not the only massive generator of emissions in cyberspace. Merely turning on a computer uses lots of energy, and every website with a decent amount of visitors has some type of emissions caused by its servers sucking power. One of the worst emitters are games such as World of Warcraft, where users spend large chunks of time playing the game, which uses lots of server energy and personal computer energy. It also takes a lot of energy to store the avatars and information of those with gaming accounts even when they are not actively playing.
-Lindsey Sutphin
image source: saltair.wordpress.com
This topic got me thinking about computers in general and how they affect the environment. Computers use roughly 10 times there weight in fossil fuels in there production. Computers also contain many toxic materials such as mercury in there screens and corrosive chemicals in batteries. Producing just one computer requires many gallons of fresh water. This massive drain on rivers, lakes, and especially under ground aquifers is a big and growing problem in the western states. I think that we should look at our technology critically and how it affects our environment. Maybe, once we know how technology affects the environment, we will think twice about getting that faster computer or looking at facebook for a few hours.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting point, but it seems as though making an argument against the rise of technology and the internet is useless. As time goes on, technology is becoming more and more entwined with our every day lives. In fact, it could be argued that technology is helping to reduce emissions by providing opportunities for BAT policies.
ReplyDeleteAccording to your article, each Google search emits 7 grams of CO2. In comparison, according to the EPA website, humans emit about 1000 grams of CO2 per day. Multiply this by the entire population of the world, and that's a whole lot more CO2 emissions.
Perhaps we should focus on rising populations instead?
Responding to Darr's comments above - we should also remember that computers and cell phones use some globally rare minerals and metals that contribute to major resource conflicts - especially in the Congo. These mineral resources are controlled by armed gangs who use horrific violence on the local populations to maintain their monopoly on the metals/minerals that go into our laptops and cellphones.....and since the accepted definition of "sustainability" involves social justice alongside economic resilience and environmental stewardship, we should consider the myriad impacts of our consumption of electronic information.
ReplyDeleteThis whole concept is something that I've never thought about and find very perplexing. We spend so much time in schools learning that in order to help our environment we should stop using paper. in all of our classes we strive to do things by e-mail or try to research online to stop printing things out. It's curious to me that so few questions are ever raised in classes about if its better to use recycled paper products (which you then recycle again, hopefully) to get your work done, or if its better to spend 5 hours researching and writing on a computer.
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