Resource consumption & digitalization
Resource consumption of digitization
The digitization of our everyday lives is advancing. The global pandemic and the associated increase in digital work, meetings, and consumption have caused data volumes to rise rapidly in recent years. Communication technology currently accounts for two percent of global CO2 emissions.
This includes our smartphones, PCs, and even smart TVs, because without data centers and distribution technology (e.g., mobile networks), they would not work. It is not only the device you are currently using that consumes electricity, but also the service you are accessing with it. A single Google search query consumes 0.3 watt hours. Twenty Google searches consume about as much energy as an energy-saving light bulb in one hour. In order for our small query to be answered in real time, huge data centers are required. These not only need electricity for their actual operation, but also usually require complex cooling systems.
Video streaming and cloud computing also contribute to increased electricity consumption. Streaming a 30-minute video consumes as much CO2 as a six-kilometer car journey. Streaming images requires huge amounts of data, and the higher the resolution, the greater the amount of data. If you use a cloud for your photos, the photo is re-uploaded from the network every time you access it. This also requires large data centers with the appropriate capacity.
The trend towards green computing
Who would have thought that digitalization could become a climate problem? This awareness of climate protection has now also been put on the agenda by large IT companies. And not only because their own electricity consumption has risen significantly. "Green computing" is therefore the key term for many of these companies. Apple, for example, already produces its own climate-neutral electricity from renewable sources and pays attention to sustainability and lower CO2 emissions in the production of its devices. Amazon wants to be completely CO2-neutral by 2030.
Since 2010, Greenpeace has been calling on large IT companies to use renewable energies and to run their apps on renewable electricity wherever possible. Some operators of popular apps have taken up this issue.
What can we do ourselves?
Every single user can help to ensure that energy consumption in the areas of home office and home schooling, streaming, and app and cloud use does not rise quite so rapidly. A few options would be:
- Check your smartphone – Constant use of Wi-Fi and GPS increases your smartphone's power consumption. Even unused apps require energy for updates and synchronization, so it's better to delete them. Disable the autoplay function on social networks, as video streaming in particular consumes a lot of power.
- Use a laptop – For the same use, a laptop is usually much more energy-efficient than a desktop PC. Replacing your desktop PC with a laptop can save up to 75 percent of electricity.
- Consume consciously – Avoid excessive streaming and stream on the smallest possible data-saving screens to save energy. Also, don't run videos, apps, and games in parallel if only one option is actually being used. By the way: Streaming via your home Wi-Fi uses fewer resources than streaming via the mobile network.
- Shop locally – When ordering, give preference to local and regional suppliers to save on transport. If you can't do without online shopping, avoid express shipping, which costs additional resources.
- Disconnect from the internet – Routers are also constant consumers of energy in the household. They should be switched off overnight. Some routers have an automatic energy-saving mode.
- Use your webcam sparingly – One hour of video conferencing causes CO2 emissions of up to 1,000 grams. If you do without the camera altogether, you can save up to 96 percent of the emissions caused.
- Turn off your screensaver – If you want to reduce your computer's power consumption, turn off the screensaver. This prevents the PC from entering the even more economical sleep mode.
- Choose your electricity provider wisely – There is now a wide range of providers offering electricity from renewable energy sources.
Environmental tip for June 2021