Green Goo..
We've reported before on the green cost of online
Now a Harvard physicist, Alex Wissner-Gross controversially claims that two search requests on Google could produce as much carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle. Google says that is ""many times too high."
Google also aim to be carbon neutral, and the company says "We committed to being carbon neutral back in 2007 and achieved it that year. We don't have the data in for 2008 yet." So even if the company pollutes they clean up afterwards - which is more than my kettle does.
Other companies have tried to off-set online behaviour too. Here's one UK based search engine. But it's shut down.Here's another that earns as a result of your search and uses it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invests in renewable energy. Only, it too has shut down.
Better news here Its planted nearly seven thousand trees throughout Australia, and there is a map of the forests they have planted on their website.Good for Australia. And there others here, here and here.
So how to best to surf and be green? Pedal-powered computing? Mice with little tiny dynamos inside? What would you do to minimise the carbon cost of browsing.
UPDATE: A blog commenter JeremyB helpfully posts a link to an article that rather effectively scuppers the story. It's recommended reading. Key quote from Alex Wissner-Gross:
"Our work has nothing to do with Google. Our focus was exclusively on the Web overall, and we found that it takes on average about 20 milligrams of CO2 per second to visit a Web site." And the example involving tea kettles? "They did that. I have no idea where they got those statistics," Wissner-Gross said."
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Comments
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I'd really like to comment on this story, but am concerned that my viewpoint may not be welcome. You see, I am an atheist.
Could you let me know if I am allowed to participate in this debate as I understand that certain BBC programmes (such as Thought for the Day) are not open to me?
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Who are you talking about, Greengo?!
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Not only Google have disowned this story, the scientist it was attributed to has also. Basically he says The Sunday Times made the kettle "fact" up and attached it to his name.
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/65794.html
Also it is worth noting for perspective that human breathing produces around a gramme of CO2 per minute. More if you are peddling your computer! So even on the invented Sunday Times figures a search is equivalent to around seven minutes breathing. On the real figures, it is well under half a minute.
Of course, the best way for Google, and other global internet companies, to become carbon neutral would be to locate their server "farms" in France where most electricity is produced using nuclear power.
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