Decarbonizing the Internet: The Hidden Impact of the Cloud and How to Reduce It

While the world focuses on reducing emissions from cars and factories, the internet pollutes more than global aviation. By 2025, digitalization will generate 4% of global CO₂ emissions (equivalent to the entire country of Germany), and is expected to reach 8% by 2030. The cloud, cryptocurrencies, and streaming are the great invisible elements of the climate crisis. Here we explore how to decarbonize the grid without disconnecting.

Where’s the Impact? The 3 Main Sources

1. Data Centers:
   • Consume 200 TWh annually (more than all of Iran).
   • Emit 100 million tons of CO₂ through cooling and power.
2. Data Transmission:
   • 1 GB of data = 3 kg of CO₂ (equivalent to driving 15 km).
   • Streaming videos (60% of web traffic): Netflix emits 1 kg of CO₂/hour.
3. User Devices:
   • Manufacturing a laptop emits 300 kg of CO₂ (including energy use).
   • 75 million tons of electronic waste annually (only 20% is recycled).

Solutions Underway (2025)

1. Green Data Centers

• 100% renewable energy: Google and Microsoft use wind and solar power for their clouds.
• Natural cooling:
  • Facebook in Sweden uses Arctic air (saving 70% energy).
  • Microsoft tests underwater data centers (Natick project).
• Heat recovery:
  • Amazon heats 5,000 homes in Dublin with its servers.

2. Sustainable Web Design

• Eco-design:
  • Data compression (less energy per transfer).
  • Dark mode reduces consumption on OLED displays by 50%.
• Green hosting: Providers like GreenGeeks or Kualo use renewable energy.

3. Responsible Content Consumption

• Streaming in SD (not 4K): Saves 5 times less energy.
• Email cleaning: Deleting 100 emails is equivalent to turning off a light bulb for 1 hour.
• Extensions like Carbonalyser (measures your browsing footprint).

Emerging Technologies

• Zinc-air batteries: More efficient storage for renewable energy.
• AI for optimization: Google DeepMind reduces the consumption of its centers by 40%.
• Edge computing: Processing data close to the user (less transmission).

The Great Dilemma: Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

• Bitcoin consumes 150 TWh/year (more than Argentina).
• Green alternatives:
  • Proof-of-Stake (Ethereum 2.0 reduces consumption by 99%).
  • Solar cryptocurrencies like SolarCoin.

How to Reduce Your Digital Footprint

1. Choose green providers: Greenpeace ClickClean ranks companies.
2. Download instead of streaming: Music and podcasts instead of streaming.
3. Extend the life of your devices: Use 1 extra year = -20% footprint.

“The cloud is not ethereal: it is a voracious consumer of real resources” — Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI.