The London Times reports Harvard University researchers have found two Google searches have the same carbon footprint as boiling a kettle.
This should be no surprise as it’s easy to forget the energy consumed by every computing task we do. It’s not Google’s computers that are energy hungry, those sitting on our desks or laps are almost as greedy.
There is a redeeming feature to this. One of the experts quoted later in the article points out that if the computer use is saving you jumping in your car or carrying out some other carbon intensive activity then the computer use is better for the environment.
The article points to a useful websites for calculating your carbon emissions at Carbon Footprint. This is handy not just for reducing your effects on the environmental but also for identifying where you can reduce your energy costs.