The invisible carbon footprint.

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 The Carbon Footprint of the Digital Age: Streaming, Data Centers, and E-Waste


Most people in their day-to-day life don’t think about the environmental impact of scrolling on TikTok, watching Netflix or even streaming music. These are things that we all do every day and they might feel like they are harmless but all of these things depend on huge data centers that are working nonstop in the background. People spend time online every single day and so the facilities that being online depend on will also continue to grow very quickly all around the world. 


According to MyClimate, every online research or video requires energy use, and things like video streaming create one of the biggest digital carbon footprint because videos use a lot of data. Data centers are active all day, everyday, which means that they use a lot of electricity and cooling systems in order to prevent overheating. So, social media  AI and streaming continue to grow every single day. Meaning that the demand for more energy is also increasing.


Another reason this is very important is because people don’t realize how connected technology is to climate change. Digital entertainment is a kind of pollution that we don’t see physically like the ones that is caused by factories or cars but just because we don’t see it physically doesn’t mean that there isn't some pollution coming from our phones or laptops. So experts are now encouraging companies to focus on reducing their carbon footprint by using more renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power.


As technology use continues to grow every single day, we need to know that even small online activities can add up, especially when billions of people are doing them on a daily basis.  While technology does make our life easier and it makes us feel more connected as a society. We also need to be able to find more sustainable ways in order to support the digital world that continues to grow. 



TechTarget (2024) Understand the digital carbon footprint of enterprise IT https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/Understand-the-digital-carbon-footprint-of-enterprise-IT


Open university (2024) What is a digital carbon footprint? https://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/what-digital-carbon-footprint?utm_


Myclimate (2024) What is a digital carbon footprint? https://www.myclimate.org/en/information/faq/faq-detail/what-is-a-digital-carbon-footprint/


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