Our digital lives have an often-unseen environmental impact. Every email, search, or file upload contributes to our ‘digital carbon footprint‘ — the carbon emissions generated by all our online activity. But why does this matter, and in our increasingly tech-heavy lives, what can we do about it?
Data centers, which store vast amounts of digital information, run 24/7 and use massive amounts of electricity in order to maintain our digital lives. But these are often out of sight, making it easy to overlook their impact. Many tech companies also engage in “greenwashing,” making claims about being carbon neutral, even as their energy consumption remains high. While some companies are working toward more sustainable practices, the digital industry still accounts for 4% of the world’s total carbon emissions. By 2040, data storage is projected to generate 14% of global emissions, which is equivalent to the current emissions of the USA...
So, what’s our point?
Well as our world becomes increasingly more digital, reducing our digital carbon footprint is another critical area to think about if we want to address climate change. Okay so how do we do that? It’s not too stressful; here are some easy tips to employ and as ever, it’s very much about forming climate-friendly habits into our daily lives.
People sitting with assorted laptops and digital devices at a table.
Obviously, we can’t eliminate all our digital emissions; the digital age is here to stay and brings with it many fantastic benefits that can make life easier, but what we can do is make conscious choices that lead to reducing them. From becoming more aware of our digital habits to decluttering our devices and making sustainable choices about the things we own, small actions over time can make a real difference...
Top tips for what we can do
Delete, delete, delete
Decluttering your digital life is the first practical step to take to reduce emissions. Think of it as a digital spring clean: delete those old emails, photos, and files you no longer need. For businesses, reducing the number of tools used — such as switching between Zoom, Teams, and Slack — can also cut down on data usage, improve efficiency, and lower emissions. Do you really need eight different channels to communicate through with your internal team, or can you narrow this down? Reducing all this digital ‘noise’ tends to be good for your mind too!
2. Make conscious choices
Repair and reuse your devices instead of buying new ones and if you can’t repair or reuse anymore, find a refurbished items store. Extending the life of a laptop by just one year can significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Moderate your online activities— do you need to search things multiple times? Do you need to view absolutely everything in HD? Or could you tone down the number of searches you perform every day, utilise bookmarks and limit streaming to standard definition? In meetings could you turn off your camera during video calls if it’s not necessary? This might be kinder for your eyes too. Additionally, turn off ‘auto-play’, lower video quality, and download content over wifi to cut down on data use.
3. Adopt climate-conscious digital practices at work
We touch a bit on business in tip one, but companies can often make much larger impacts than individuals. For instance, have you ever heard of ‘green hosting’? Traditional hosting relies on energy from fossil fuels which contributes to carbon emissions, whereas green hosting aims to minimise its environmental impact by using more sustainable practices, such as using renewable energy. Start by assessing your website’s carbon footprint.
Another option for businesses to make a big dent? Review your supply chains and the people you’re working alongside. Ask them what they are doing. Let them know that you care by asking questions and gently putting the pressure on. Sometimes by simply starting a conversation with a supplier is enough to get them to think about their own digital footprint, energy usage and carbon emissions, and hey if you’re already setting an example by looking at your own business' footprint already, that will give you extra credibility.
4. Stop hoarding, just let is go – at work and at home
Get rid of ‘dark data’ which takes up unnecessary storage space and energy! Is there a reason that you’re hanging on to emails from years ago that are no longer relevant? Have you got old, forgotten files saved in cloud storage that could do with a purge? Have you now got duplicate files or hundreds of photos of your dog on a personal device? How about unused apps and software that you just don’t use? This stuff accumulates but if it no longer serves a purpose, just let it go!
5. Last one; educate yourself and others!
Awareness is key! Digital emissions are often hidden, and we really don’t think about them as much – like the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. But by educating ourselves and others on how our digital behaviours impact the environment, we can make informed decisions to minimise our footprint. Did this article open your eyes? Did you learn something new? Then share it!
If we haven’t surprised you yet, here are some interesting facts... did you know that:
Scrolling TikTok emits 2.63g CO2e per minute. (This is your sign to put the phone down)
For every second spent on Google, 23 trees must use up their CO2-sucking abilities.
And finally: one email emits 0.3g of carbon. If you think that in 2022, 333 billion were sent and received every day... that adds up!
Reducing our digital carbon footprint is essential in today’s increasingly online world. Through digital decluttering, making conscious choices, and encouraging sustainable business practices, we can take steps toward a greener, more responsible digital future.
We’ll leave you with one bonus tip which is easy and quick to do:
Bonus tip: Delete ten photos from your phone every single evening.
Good luck with your digital declutter!
This article was written based on a presentation about Digital Carbon Literacy by Colin Cripps from Optimo, a B-Corp organisation who supports businesses and not-for-profits working for environmental and social change to do what they do more efficiently and effectively to support positive change.
Zero Carbon Harrogate is a local charity dedicated to reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable practices within the community.
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