While many of us are aware that following a plant-based diet or reducing our dependence on cars can significantly reduce our carbon footprint, many are unaware that internet consumption also generates CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) that affects the planet.

Thirty minutes of video streaming emits between 28 and 57 g of CO2e, while watching a 10-hour series on Netflix uses the same energy as charging a smartphone 145 times.

So what does this mean? Should we stop using the internet for the sake of a greener planet?

While the answer to this is complex and not exactly simple, it's essential to explore the problem first. Only then can we discover the current solutions available , including what our hosting provider is doing to combat it.

Data centers are the real culprits

In the end, it all comes down to data. Data centers, to be exact.

This means that every webpage you open, song you download, or video you watch consists of data. Contrary to popular belief, this data doesn't exist on its own. It has to be produced, hosted, and made available to everyone through something called a " data center " or " data processing unit ."

A data center simply refers to a large facility with dedicated space, data communication lines, power supplies, and backup systems. Studies show that some of the world's largest data centers can house tens of thousands of IT devices, requiring more than 100 megawatts (MW) of power capacity. This is enough to power approximately 80.000 homes in the U.S.

While most companies typically don't disclose the locations of their data centers for privacy reasons, it's widely accepted that data centers account for nearly 30% of the internet's energy requirements. And according to The New York Times , most data centers consume incredible amounts of energy in a highly wasteful manner . This means that companies continue to operate their facilities at maximum capacity, regardless of demand or time of day. This can result in data centers wasting 90% or more of the electricity they draw from the power grid.

Why do we need a green internet?

Thanks to the high-bandwidth services of Netflix, Facebook , YouTube , and gaming companies Activation Blizzard and Epic Games , the growth in internet traffic is now off the charts, with up to 80% of data capacity going to these aforementioned players.

In the case of YouTube, a 2016 study by the University of Bristol estimated that streaming videos from 1.400 billion users produced more than 11 million tons of CO2 per year, similar to the emissions of Frankfurt, Germany, or Glasgow, Scotland. And given that YouTube currently has more than 2400 billion users worldwide , this carbon footprint is undoubtedly even larger.

However, it's worth noting that the streaming and television industries contribute far less than others. For example, microwaving a bag of popcorn for four minutes produces approximately 30% of the carbon emissions generated by watching an hour of streamed content.

What can be done to make the internet green?

The desire to transition to a greener internet is nothing new. From 2010 to 2013, the ECONET (low Energy COnsumption NETworks) project was carried out , co-funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme. This project aimed to study and exploit dynamic adaptive technologies for wired network devices that would allow them to save energy when a device (or part of it) was not in use.

And now that the European Commission's European Green Deal and several large international companies are stating that their entire facilities and product portfolios will be climate neutral by 2050, this demonstrates how much companies believe in the need to step up their sustainability measures and actively participate in reducing their overall environmental impact.

Facebook and Google, for example, are two companies that supposedly already do this by using redesigned software and cooling systems to reduce energy waste. Even so, according to recent reports, Google's data centers consume nearly 300 million watts and Facebook's, about 60 million watts.

Some industry experts recommend using new, direct, low-impact liquid cooling systems to limit the active movement of air over servers, which would eliminate the need to cool the entire data room, thus reducing energy consumption and costs.

Traditional data centers also rely on incredible amounts of water. Did you know that a typical data center uses around 3 to 5 million gallons of water per day —equivalent to the water supply of a city with 30,000 to 50,000 inhabitants? Simply replacing these evaporative water cooling systems with innovative closed-loop systems that use recycled water instead of freshwater would help reduce this immense burden on local water systems.

Others believe the most environmentally friendly solution lies in the cloud, which means centralized computing across data centers. This simply means that data centers would rely on virtualization technology, where servers merge their identities into vast, flexible computing resources that can be distributed as needed to users, regardless of their location. For more information on cloud computing, see one of our in-depth articles on this topic.

Whether it's donating previously used dedicated servers to non-profit organizations or participating in eco-friendly initiatives like tree planting with Team Trees , Namecheap as a company is aware that the world is changing at an accelerated pace and that sustainability must be at the forefront.

That's why some of our hosting plans now feature an EU data center located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, powered by 100% renewable electricity. This data center is not only ISO 140001 and ISO 50001 certified , but its provider is also a signatory to The Climate Pledge™, which is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040. These particular plans also include cloud storage, offering zero downtime, true stability, and the highest performance.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the internet has brought about positive change and improved the lives of many people worldwide. But we cannot pretend that the future of our planet is not at risk if we do not adopt greener and more sustainable systems.

Like many companies, Selfish It is an agency committed to becoming 100% renewable..

Even if data is considered the fuel of the internet, everything comes at a cost, so it's time we, as consumers, start asking critical questions about how the products and services we actively consume are produced and delivered. Only through a more conscious approach to connectivity can we achieve our greener goals, which include green data.