DID YOU KNOW

Google handles about 5.6 billion search queries per day, releasing some 1g to
10g of CO2 per day. Despite the notion that the internet is a “cloud,” it
actually relies on millions of physical servers in data centers around the
world, which are connected with miles of undersea cables, switches, and
routers, all requiring a lot of energy to run. Much of that energy comes
from power sources that emit carbon dioxide into the air as they burn
fossil fuels.
Less we forget, the internet is made up of interconnected physical
infrastructures which consumes natural resources.

A spokesperson also tells Quartz that providing one user with one month
of Google services generates about the same amount of the greenhouse
gas emissions as driving a car for one mile. (An average gasoline-
powered car typically emits 8.91 kg of CO2 per gallon. In the US, cars
average 24.7 miles per gallon, which would mean a car emits 360.7
grams of CO2 per mile.

One estimate from British environmental consultancy Carbon footprint

puts it between 1g and 10g of CO2 per Google search. The high end of
that estimate accounts for having to start up your computer before
running the search, but even the low end is higher than both Google and
Moll’s relatively conservative estimates.

Google is mindful of its carbon footprint. It’s designing more energy-

efficient data centers, investing in clean energy, and has numerous
carbon-offset programs. The company’s spokesperson emphasizes that
Google has been carbon neutral since 2007. But this doesn’t erase the
fact that Google’s infrastructure emits a considerable volume of CO2.

Goggle uses an estimated 15billion kWh of electricity per year, more than
most countries. However, google generates a lot of their own power with
their solar panels.