However, these calculations were made by Berners-Lee ten years ago, so the real impact may actually be even higher. Spam messages accounted for a whopping 54.68 percent of all emails worldwide in 2019 (that’s big emissions’ reduction potential with something as simple as a good spam filter!). These carbon emissions come from the energy used to operate the computers, access the internet and the entire physical system and the infrastructure behind it all, including the storage and transmission of information via data centres. An email with a lot of text and an attachment can be responsible for up to 50 grams. The more messages we send, receive and store, the more servers are needed – which means more energy consumed, and more carbon emissions.Īccording to carbon footprint specialist Mike Berners-Lee (brother of Tim Berners-Lee, the “inventor of the world wide web”), every spam email – even if we don’t open it – releases an estimated 0.3 grams of CO2 into the atmosphere. These servers consume massive amounts of energy, 24 hours a day, and require countless litres of water, or air conditioning systems, for cooling. The incredible quantity of data requires huge server farms – gigantic centres with millions of computers which store and transmit information. It’s easy to overlook the invisible energy usage involved in running the network (and maintaining the entire physical infrastructure behind it) – particularly when it comes to sending and storing data.Įvery single email in every single inbox in the world is stored on a server. Many of us tend to assume that using email requires little more than the electricity used to power our computers. Unlike traditional letters, no paper or stamps are needed nothing has to be packaged or transported. ![]() But how often do we consider the environmental impactof these virtual messages? At first glance, digital messages appear to save resources. In this day and age, it is difficult to imagine our lives without e-mail. Did you know that every old email stored in your inbox is using up energy? Decluttering your inbox is a quick and easy way to reduce your electricity consumption and shrink your carbon footprint.
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