Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches

[Board Game Geek]

Let's face it, humans create all sorts of C02 emissions and pollution.

The only answer is to take off and nuke the place from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

[NotAllThere]

How many carbons are saved by the use of all this communication technology? Surely e-mail is better than driving or flying to have a face to face meeting. And searching for something on Google is a greener source of information than having to print lots of books, and ship those books all round the world.

They should factor that in.

Making books locks carbon in the form of paper, so there's less in the air. For the same reason, we should build more roads.

[MPwannadecentincome]

surely it would use less energy if it didn't return 11 million plus results when I'm only going to browse maybe the first 100 or 200?

[Ruprect]

surely it would use less energy if it didn't return 11 million plus results when I'm only going to browse maybe the first 100 or 200?

10 or 20

[sasguru]

Has anything ever generated more hot air than SKA?

[Chantho]

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/...cle5489134.ece

While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 Boiling a kettle generates about 15g. “Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact.”

Problem solved - see This thread

[MPwannadecentincome]

10 or 20

yes for most people it would be 10 or 20 - when I am doing research on specific topics I might go as far as 200 though - I've setup my google page to show 100 results.

[Sockpuppet]

It uses up less energy then surfing for the result by hand. That would mean your PC is on for longer and mean more than 7g of CO2 is produced.


The alternative is if everyone did 4 searces a day. The power would not rise linerally so we would use maybe 6g per search.

I've just saved the planet.

[Ravello]

I can't believe that the guy who wrote this didn't have anything better to do..

If you want to be an expert in your field, pick a field that no-one else wants to stand in.

[Cheshire Cat]

I'm sure Gordo will include a google-tax some time this year, to claw back cost of the VAT reduction.