Do you know how much pollution is caused by daily Internet use?

In this era, when we are increasingly connected, With the help of the Internet, applications, smart devices and cutting-edge technology. In this way, we like to be informed quickly or control the equipment in our environment. But, This brings its consequences, environmental pollution.

In case you didn't know, Use the internet with applications such as WhatsApp, email, or similar.. Pollution is generated and is increasing rapidly over time.

So, as you are reading it WhatsApp, Spotify, social networks and emails pollute, leaving a fingerprint on our planet. Due to the Energy needs throughout the process, for computers and equipment to remain active.

For example, The consumption of paper and physical prints has been minimized in many formats. Since there is the possibility of saving and sharing in the Cloud.

Now, according to studies in recent years by the prestigious Hamilton's McMaster University, in 2018 the Information and Communications Technology (ITC) sector consumed between 6% and 10% of the electrical energy generated on the planet. For this reason, they estimate that by 2030, it will reach 21%, largely due to the use of the internet.

Thus, as they also highlight that The increase in energy consumption in the last 5 decades was 600%. Where much of that demand is tied to the infrastructure for the incredible internet.

Why does the internet pollute?

Continuing with numbers and math, we'll mention the calculations made by various organizations. Some will find this alarming, others won't.

Regarding email

For example, in a report by the consulting firm Two Sides, determined that the activity related to the sending emails around the world, are equivalent to a carbon footprint that they generate about 900 million vehicles.

Did you know, that more than 70 billion emails are sent in one year, which in turn leads to generate about 22 million metric tons of CO2. If we take the lowest estimate of 0.3 g of CO2 from each piece of mail, this is equivalent to the pollution generated by 5 million vehicles.

Now then, if the calculations were made with 50 g of CO2, counting attachments, the total would be about 4 billion metric tons of CO2Obviously, this is a considerable increase and its equivalent is the pollution that would be produced by some 890 million motor vehicles.

To be a little clearer in the example, according to Mike Berners-Lee, If we use email for a whole yearEach of us would generate 136 kilos of carbon dioxide. The same would apply to a 322-kilometer vehicle trip.

Social networks also pollute

One of the uses given to the internet is with social networks. For this reason, It is estimated that more than 80% of users have at least one account on a social network..

At this moment WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WeChat, YouTube, are the most popular networks that enter this somewhat discourteous competition with the planet.

For example, A tweet generates 0.2 g of CO2 and approximately 500 million are sent., which equivalent to about 300 million metric tons of CO₂ in one monthOn the other hand, Facebook generates more than 900,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Thus, consumption is on the rise due to the ever-increasing emergence of new social networks and video games. Consequently, more servers and equipment will be needed to meet demand.

Increasing energy consumption

Obviously, social networks and similar applications need to store information, including user information and any other important data about registered users. This requires the use of servers and an entire system of connections.

These devices, in addition to consuming energy, generate carbon dioxide and require the help of other devices to function properly. We're talking about refrigeration equipment, which also consumes energy and pollutes the environment.

So far, worldwide, Studies estimate that there is a large amount of electronic equipment, which we mention below:

• More than 40 million servers
• About 8 billion pieces of network equipment (routers and other connection devices).
• 2 billion smartphones,
• Around 9 billion electronic devices,
• 1 billion computers,
• More than 5 billion devices with internet access.

However, this energy consumption allows for the generation of a considerable amount of CO2. For example, According to Nature magazine, data centers consume about 200 terawatt hours (TWh). per year. In itself, this is equivalent to the national energy consumption of some small countries.

Not all is lost

Thus, as consumption increases, large corporations are taking actionOne is by developing more efficient data centers and equipment. On the other hand, they have begun migrating to green energy to meet their needs.

In addition, we can do our part by taking into account the following tips:

• Reduce the files you send by email to reduce the size of the message.
• Instead of attaching documents, send links for quick access.
• Empty your email trash frequently and delete unnecessary emails from your inbox.
• Unsubscribe from newsletters you don't read or aren't interested in.
• Type web page addresses directly into your browser instead of using search engines.
• Add web pages you frequently visit as favorites.
• Delete conversations in your chats frequently.
• Delete apps you are not using.
• On the other hand, close the windows of applications that you are not using on your smartphone.

There's still a lot to do to raise awareness about our digital footprint. Tell us: How much do you use your smartphone? How often do you clean up your chats? And thus contribute to reducing environmental pollution.

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