Computers, Carbon, and Climate

The farther away from our reality a situation or event occurs, the less likely we are to notice it. For this reason, it can be difficult to understand the consequences of using the many technologies present in our everyday lives, including laptops, desktop computers, smartphones, and even less tangible systems such as the internet. In honor of the pledges made by 195 participating countries at COP21 to reduce global emissions, let us examine how our computers indirectly participate in the production of climate-altering greenhouse gases.

The possibility that our planet may soon become hot enough to liquify the polar caps, rising ocean levels by a sizable amount is frightening. Warming of our climate by just 2 degrees Celsius will guarantee this, although our current course has us set to raise the global temperature by more than just 2 degrees. The culprits responsible for the escalating climate are greenhouse gases, a set of gases that lie in our atmosphere, trapping heat emitted from Earth toward space. These gases allow Earth’s surface to remain at a steady, life-supporting temperature, whereas without them Earth would likely be a desolate, barren rock. The greater abundance of these gases floating about in our atmosphere, however, the higher the temperature will rise.

25% of greenhouse gas emissions are produced from the burning of natural gas, coal, and oil to generate the electricity which powers our lights, appliances, computers, and more. Most individuals trying to reduce their carbon footprint (or the electric bill) will begin by limiting excessive use of lighting and air conditioning/heating. I suppose that the computer differs from excessive lighting in that many people find it useful for a variety of things that they would not sacrifice so easily. Those many things, all part of what is known as the information, communication, and technology (ICT) sector, are responsible for 2% of global carbon emissions.

So if we treat computers as excessive lighting and turn them off when not being used, etc. this number should fall, right? Yes, but there is a much larger entity at play that we ordinary computer users cannot control: the internet, or more specifically the many data centers spread around the globe which host all of the cloud-based applications we use and all of the web sites we visit. To get an idea for how much power the internet needs in order to function, just imagine the amount of energy consumed by a warehouse filled with stacks upon stacks of high powered computers that are running virtually nonstop, and you will have imagined one of thousands of facilities which collaboratively form the internet.

Many companies, such as Apple and Facebook have taken an initiative to use renewable energy sources to power their data centers, but many remain dependent on electricity obtained from burning natural gas and coal. With our nation’s promise to reduce emissions by 25% of what was observed in 2005, remember to stay mindful not only of excessive lighting, but also of how you use your digital devices.