Even email and social network campaigns used to promote Earth Hour, the annual symbolic dimming of lights to fight global warming, are inevitably contributing to climate change.
In the 10th edition of the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), an NGO-backed event that raises awareness on climate change effects, the world’s landmark monuments and participating establishments will go dark at 8:30 p.m. their local time for a whole hour. Along with the activity comes the call to adjust lifestyles to slash people’s carbon footprints, including using bikes, carpooling and becoming “eco-responsible.”
But there’s another largely unnoticed carbon pollutant in all this climate change discussion: people’s email and social network activity.
"Electricity consumption related to the growth of digital technologies is exploding," warns Alain Anglade of the French Environment and Energy Management Agency in an AFP report.
Humans are believed to emit about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide yearly, with a short email only contributing about 0.14 ounce. But in the digital era, the sheer volume of these digital messages has become a significant contributor, accounting for more than 10 percent of total electricity consumption in France alone, which is practically the same as in other developed nations.
The report breaks this down to several practical scenarios: five dozens of these 0.14-ounce emails per day from a smartphone or laptop are equivalent to driving an average-size car per kilometer or 0.6 miles. A 1-megabyte email attachment, too, is the same as low-wattage light bulb turned on for two hours.
Factored in are greenhouse gases from powering the computer, routers and server, as well as those emitted during equipment manufacturing.
Even sending an SMS text message, too, weighs in at around 0.014 grams of CO2, which pile up over time and with the growing amount of users worldwide.
Even reading an e-book does not hold an eco-friendly advantage over using actual books. A paperback can entail around a kilo (nearly 2.2 pounds) of CO2 to be created, but it takes at least 200 times more to manufacture an e-reader.
Some tips to be more energy-conscious include cutting down on email attachments, emptying one’s trash and eliminating unnecessary recipients. Make emails more precise as well, as the carbon counter keeps running as someone reads emails.
Even Google searches count, with every Web search leaving a 0.2-gram CO2 footprint. The figure grows to up to 4.5 grams (0.16 pounds) on one’s desktop.
“The world is at a climate crossroads,” Earth Hour Global executive director Siddarth Das says, citing the unprecedented impacts of climate change across borders.
In its continuing campaign, Earth Hour – which claims to have organized global legislation and action on climate change – urges social media users to help raise awareness, including changing their profile photos.
Even these small steps on Facebook and Twitter could prove consequential, if one considers how virtual messaging actually contributes to climate change.
This year's Earth Hour occurs a week after February was declared the warmest month on record, sparking greater concerns on how the planet is faring. Scientists maintain that 2016 is in the running as the warmest year on record.
Photo: Johnny Ashburn | Flickr
