[INFORMATIVE] Digital Pollution: The Dark Environmental Cost of Our Online Lives

Digital Pollution: The Dark Environmental Cost of Our Online Lives

By: Haerim Park

The internet has become irrevocably intertwined with our lives as we live in an era of instant communication and entertainment. Each click or tap is the gateway to a wealth of information, contacts across the globe, and a host of other digital services. But beneath these conveniences lies a hidden environmental problem: digital pollution. The more dependent we become on digital technologies, the greater the carbon footprint of our online activities.

What Is Digital Pollution?
The term "digital pollution" has been coined as environmental degradation due to digital technology through energy use and carbon emissions. After all, the data centers, servers, and network equipment behind this gulp a huge amount of energy to keep them running. Our activities online, from emailing and video streaming to even a simple Google search, require energy and generate carbon emissions, thus contributing to digital pollution.

The Carbon Footprint of Internet Usage
The internet has a huge and expanding carbon impact.

• Data Centers: With thousands of servers that store, process, and transport data, data centers serve as the internet's backbone. These facilities operate 24/7, consuming a ton of electricity to power the servers and keep them cool. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates data centers demand approximately 1% of global electricity, and this percentage is projected to increase as more data is generated and stored.
• Network Infrastructure: Fiber-optic cables, routers, and wireless towers are examples of network infrastructure that use energy to allow data to travel around the globe. Data transmission across networks consumes a large amount of energy, and this energy consumption rises as more people have access to high-speed internet.
• End-User Devices: Digital pollution results from every gadget we use to access the internet, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs. These devices need a lot of resources to manufacture and demand energy when they are in use. The short lifespan of many electronic equipment also contributes to electronic trash, exacerbating environmental harm.
• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): CDNs are used to deliver content more efficiently by storing copies of data closer to the end user. While this reduces latency and speeds up access, it also involves additional energy consumption for storing and transferring data.

Streaming: The Silent Energy Guzzler
Of the many contributors to digital pollution, the largest is online streaming. Services like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify provide endless entertainment but come with a price tag. High-definition digital video streaming requires huge amounts of data transfer and processing, which requires large energy consumption.

According to a report by the French think tank The Shift Project, 30 minutes of video streaming on services like Netflix produced about 1.6 kg of CO2 — equivalent to driving 6 kilometres in a car. As video quality improves from HD to 4K and now even 8K, the amount of data required and energy consumption is increasing exponentially.

The Rise of Digital Consumption
The COVID-19 pandemic was the main accelerating force behind this shift toward digital consumption, given the increased cases of working at home, virtual meetings, and recourse to online entertainment. Besides having various advantages, a significant consequence of this shift was the heightened degree of digital pollution. Global data traffic surged, placing an intense demand on centers and network infrastructures.

Moreover, the trend of "cloud computing" meant that data is now centralized in vast data centers, often located in regions where electricity might be cheap but not necessarily clean. This reliance on cloud services—from Google Drive to Dropbox—has made the carbon footprint of the average internet user more significant than ever.

The Invisible Impact of Emails
Email is one of the basic ways of communication in the modern world, but its contribution to climate change is usually underestimated. Servers and data centers require energy to process and store an email. While the carbon footprint from one email seems small, the overall impact might be huge. A study by carbon footprint expert Mike Berners-Lee estimated that a spam email would create about 0.3 grams of CO2, while a regular email would produce about 4 grams, and an email with a big attachment could run as high as 50 grams of CO2. Considering the billions of emails sent every day, the collective carbon footprint is enormous.

The Role of Big Tech in Digital Pollution
The largest technology companies—Google, Amazon, and Microsoft—have huge responsibilities when it comes to digital pollution. These companies operate some of the biggest data centers worldwide, so their energy use is enormous. While many tech giants have committed to running their operations with renewable energy, there is still a lot of work to do. There has to be transparency: consumers should know the digital carbon footprint and the mitigative efforts being made by the companies providing such services.

Some companies have made some progress. For example, Google reports it has matched 100% of its energy consumption with renewable energy purchases since 2017, and it hopes to run entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030. Microsoft has pledged itself to be carbon-negative by 2030. These are commendable efforts, but how material these actions truly are will be resolved according to the extent to which they can be propagated across the digital ecosystem.

Reducing Our Online Environmental Impact
Although tech companies are able to do much to reduce digital pollution, there is also the scope for individual users to do their bit. Some practical steps towards reducing your online carbon footprint include the following:

• Optimize Device Use: Keeping devices longer and avoiding upgrading them can reduce a lot of e-waste. When you need a new one, consider buying it secondhand or purchasing lower-impact models.
• Stream Responsibly: Whenever possible, reduce the quality of video streaming and download content for offline viewing rather than streaming the same content again. Limit the time spent on streaming platforms, especially if you are only doing so to generate background noise.
• Keep Your Emails in Check: Be aware of mailing lists you have subscribed to, and remove your name from those that you no longer need. Remove old emails and avoid sending emails with big attachments if possible. You can send large files using file-sharing services that give temporary links rather than directly attaching them in emails.
• Cloud Storage Efficiency: Only store what is needed in the cloud and clean up your cloud storage regularly to decrease the amount of data stored and processed.
• Support Sustainable Tech Companies: Go for services and products from companies that take initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint and use renewable energy. Care about the environmental policies adopted by any tech company while you decide on choosing the platforms and services.
• Digital Minimalism: Practice digital minimalism by reducing the number of apps, services, and devices you use. Limit screen time and avoid unnecessary online activities that contribute to digital pollution.

Digital pollution is a growing environmental issue that demands our attention. While we are becoming more dependent on the internet and other digital technologies, it's time to learn about the hidden environmental costs of our online lives. Being more conscious of how we engage with digital services, promoting sustainable tech practices, and demanding openness from large technology companies can significantly reduce the digital carbon footprint. The internet may be invisible, but its impact on the planet is very real—and it's up to all of us to ensure that it's as sustainable as possible.


Work Cited:
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Digital Economy Report 2024. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2024, https://unctad.org/publication/digital-economy-report-2024. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

United Nations Environment Programme. "Growing Footprint of Digitalisation." United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, 2024, https://www.unep.org/resources/emerging-issues/growing-footprint-digitalisation. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

“Our Digital Carbon Footprint: What's the Environmental Impact of the Online World?” Our Digital Carbon Footprint: What's the Environmental Impact of the Online World? – Digital for Good | RESET.ORG Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

“Surge in Digital Activity Has Hidden Environmental Costs.” YaleNews, Yale University, 2024, Surge in digital activity has hidden environmental costs | YaleNews Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

“Digital Damage: Is Your Online Life Polluting the Planet?” Phys.org, 2024, Digital damage: Is your online life polluting the planet? (phys.org) Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.