The average Internet user spends 3,230 hours online every year. Here’s the carbon footprint of that.

Introduction

The average Internet user spends 40% of their waking hours online, and according to a new analysis, Internet activities account for 40% of their carbon budget. This study suggests that decarbonizing electricity and extending the lifespan of electronic devices could help mitigate the climate impact of Internet use.

Quantifying the Climate Impact of Digital Technology

Although digital content may seem disconnected from the real world, recent research has highlighted the significant climate impacts of digital technology, including global data centers, video conferences, and cryptocurrency. This new study fills a gap by providing a bottom-up analysis of the climate impact of digital activities and their contribution to individual carbon footprints.

Methodology

The researchers conducted a life-cycle assessment of the infrastructure and electricity required for the average Internet user’s online activities. This included web surfing, social media usage, video streaming, music streaming, and video conferencing on various devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, and televisions.

The assessment considered all stages, from raw materials extraction to end-of-life management, for components like data centers, data transmission networks, customer premises equipment (CPE), and end-user devices.

Findings

The average Internet user’s digital consumption results in the emission of 229 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, which accounts for approximately 3-4% of average per capita greenhouse gas emissions. However, when considering an individual’s fair share of carbon emissions, the impact becomes more significant. The remaining carbon budget consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C is just 501 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, and current internet use consumes, on average, 41% of that budget.

The study also assessed the impact of digital consumption on the planet’s carrying capacity for 15 other indicators. The average person’s Internet use consumes 55% of their fair share of mineral and metal resources, as well as significant portions of carrying capacity for freshwater and marine nutrient pollution, particulate air pollution, ecotoxicity, and fossil resources use.

These findings raise concerns about the sustainability level of the current system, as Internet consumption may leave little room for impacts linked to basic needs like food and transport.

Recommendations

The study identifies electricity as the biggest contributor to the climate impact of Internet use. Decarbonizing the electrical grid is a powerful strategy that could reduce the carbon footprint of digital content consumption to just 12% of the per capita carrying capacity.

However, decarbonizing the grid alone would not address the impact on metal and mineral resources. To reduce resource usage, it is necessary to extend the lifespan of electronic devices or recycle the minerals and metals they contain. Doubling the lifespan of electronic devices has the potential to decrease mineral and metal resources use from 55% to 29% of the per capita carrying capacity.

Conclusion

Considering the significant climate impacts of Internet use, it is crucial to prioritize sustainable practices to mitigate these effects. Decarbonizing electricity and promoting circular economy principles for electronic devices are key strategies to reduce the carbon footprint and resource consumption associated with digital content consumption.

Source

Istrate R. et al. “The environmental sustainability of digital content consumption.” Nature Communications 2024.

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