Greening The Internet: How Much CO2 Does This Article Produce?

Scary!

I hope I'm leaving a carbon footprint ... it proves I am living, and learning in this life.

Further, I am helping the botanical side of the equasion by providing the necessary part of the osmosis process upon which plants produce oxygen (which we all depend on to breathe).

How do statisticians ever figure out the numbers? Do they include the amount of gas emissions used during research too? I don't think you can put a number on it except infinity. If you follow the trail, there is another one, then another; it is neverending......... everything is interconnected, just like the web ..internetted you can say. (I just made that word up).

thank you for write

the REAL question is:

is CO2 a pollutant, or is global warming a hoax?

the answer is always about $$$

I have bunch of plants in my room so they spend all of CO2 i produce.

I believe that the CO2 is calculated based on the electricity needed to run your computer, the server and the relays that get the webpage to you.

CO2 levels have varied greatly over history.

I thought the this whole 'Green' business was about lowering cO2, not trying to eradicate it completely (which is impossible by the way).

I personally feel that one should not worry about how much CO2 we are release by reading blog posts. That's a little over the top.

Sorry I missed this earlier.  Great post.

Every Google search uses the same energy then one 100 watt light bulb does in one hour.

Very interesting.

Let us not overlook the huge benefits the internet is for the environment.

1. The internet has enabled millions of workers around the world to telecommute - and leave their cars at home - much less carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases in the air we breathe.

2. The internet has allowed us to buy "virtual" copies of music through excellent services like Apple's itunes.  In the past couple of weeks, millions of Michael Jackon songs have been downloaded from the internet instead of being stamped onto physical Audio CDs, which get scratched, thrown in the trash and then dumped into land fills.

3. The internet has allowed us to collaborate virtually, using Digital Video Conferencing, Skype, etc eliminating the need for excessive business travel.  Less cars on the road again and less airplanes in the air.

4. The internet allows us to read newspapers and other news sources like "NowPublic.com" online instead of chopping down millions of trees to print hard copies, which are trashed, burnt or buried in land fill.

Yes, you may have created some Carbon dioxide by using your computer to read this article on the web, but as stated above, carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant, it is the lifeblood of the planet.  Trees and plants require CO2 to breath and convert into oxygen that you and I breath.

So instead of beating up on the internet, lets pause and reflect on the great accomplishments of internet inventors like Tim Berners-Lee and DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the incredible freedom it has enabled us and the huge positive impact on the environment.

(Much applause here and cheers)