We’ve all heard about the climate impact of flying or driving. The internet’s environmental cost remains largely invisible, yet it’s comparable to that of the aviation industry and is rising rapidly. Every email, video stream, and social media scroll has a hidden carbon footprint that’s growing exponentially as our digital lives expand. 

The internet now accounts for approximately 1.5% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to recent research. The information and communication technology sector is currently responsible for approximately 1.5-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To put this in perspective, if the internet were a country, it would rank among the world’s top carbon emitters!

Yet, despite our increasing reliance on digital services, especially accelerated by the pandemic, most of us remain unaware of the climate costs hidden behind our screens.

The hidden infrastructure behind our clicks

Every time you send an email, stream a video, or upload a photo to the cloud, you’re tapping into a vast global infrastructure that runs 24/7. This digital backbone comprises three main components, each with its own energy consumption.

Data centers are the powerhouses of the internet. They are massive facilities packed with servers that store and process our data. Estimated global data centre electricity consumption in 2022 was 240-340 TWh1, or around 1-1.3% of global final electricity demand. These facilities require not just the servers themselves, but intensive cooling systems, backup power supplies, and high-speed connectivity. In 2025, global data centers are expected to consume approximately 536 terawatt-hours of electricity, accounting for around 2% of the total global electricity use. With the growing demand from AI and high-performance applications, that number could double by 2030.

The global network infrastructure, comprising undersea cables, cell towers, routers, and transmission equipment, facilitates the movement of data across continents. This transmission network alone accounts for a significant portion of internet-related emissions, as it requires constant power to keep the world connected.

Finally, there’s the manufacturing footprint of our devices. The smartphones, laptops, servers, and networking equipment all represent significant upfront carbon costs from mining rare earth elements to assembly and distribution.

Our daily digital diet

Understanding the climate impact of specific online activities reveals surprising patterns in our digital carbon diet.

Email

Despite being one of our most basic digital activities, email adds up significantly across billions of users. In his book ‘How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything’, Mike Berners-Lee puts that range at between 0.03g and 26g per email, depending on factors like attachments, images, and time spent writing and reading. Berners-Lee estimates that, globally, emails could account for as much as 150 million tonnes of CO2e in 2019, or about 0.3% of the world’s carbon footprint.

Video streaming

The majority of the digital footprint is attributed to video streaming, primarily due to the large amounts of video data. However, recent research suggests the impact may be more modest than initially feared. Streaming a 30-minute show on Netflix in 2019 released around 0.018 kg CO2e (roughly equivalent to driving a short distance). The type of connection matters significantly: streaming video over fiber optic cables results in the lowest amount of CO2 emissions, which is 2 grams per hour. Using copper cables produces twice that amount, while 3G mobile technology results in a hefty 90 grams of CO2 per hour.

Video calls and conferences

While these became essential during the pandemic, they come with environmental trade-offs. Research shows that turning off the camera during a one-hour virtual meeting can reduce the emissions footprint of the call to 4 percent of what it would have been with the camera left on, demonstrating how video dramatically increases energy consumption.

AI

Artificial intelligence is transforming our digital landscape, but also supercharging its energy demands. Historically, data centers relied mainly on CPUs, which ran at roughly 150 watts to 200 watts per chip. GPUs for AI ran at 400 watts until 2022, while state-of-the-art GPUs for general AI run at 700 watts, and next-generation chips are expected to run at 1,200 watts in 2024.

This dramatic increase in processing power requirements is reshaping the energy consumption of data centers. A single ChatGPT query requires 2.9 watt-hours of electricity, compared with 0.3 watt-hours for a Google search, highlighting how AI applications can be nearly ten times more energy-intensive than traditional internet services.

Goldman Sachs Research estimates that the overall increase in data center power consumption from AI will be approximately 200 terawatt-hours per year between 2023 and 2030. This represents a fundamental shift in how we think about digital energy consumption.

Industry responses and green computing

The tech industry isn’t standing still in the face of these challenges. Major companies are making significant investments in clean energy and efficiency improvements.

Corporate renewable energy leadership has become a defining trend. Big Tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google have emerged as some of the world’s largest corporate buyers of renewable energy, signing long-term agreements for wind and solar power to offset their data center operations. This corporate demand has helped accelerate the deployment of renewable energy globally.

Efficiency innovations are also making a difference. Data centers are becoming more efficient through the use of improved cooling technologies, AI-optimized energy management, and edge computing, which processes data closer to the users. The computing industry has consistently improved the energy efficiency of processors and storage systems, helping to moderate the growth in total energy consumption even as demand for digital services continues to surge.

Some companies are even exploring nuclear energy as a reliable, carbon-free power source, signing agreements for both existing nuclear plants and future small modular reactor technology to ensure consistent baseload power for their operations.

Solutions for a sustainable digital future

Addressing the climate cost of internet data requires action at multiple levels, from individual users to policymakers.

For individuals, small changes can make a collective difference. Simple actions, such as unsubscribing from unwanted email newsletters, using audio-only calls when video isn’t necessary, choosing smaller devices with longer lifespans, and being mindful of streaming quality, can all help reduce personal digital footprints. While individual actions alone won’t solve the problem, they contribute to broader cultural shifts toward digital sustainability.

Organisations can make more impactful changes by choosing cloud providers committed to renewable energy, optimising websites for efficiency, and implementing digital policies that consider environmental impact alongside productivity. Many companies are also extending device replacement cycles and improving their digital asset management to reduce waste.

System-level solutions are ultimately most crucial. This includes policies that require transparency in data center energy use, incentives for the adoption of renewable energy, and support for research and development in energy efficiency. Governments are beginning to establish regulations around data center energy reporting and efficiency standards.

The path forward

The climate cost of internet data represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The digital revolution has already begun to strain our climate goals, with internet use consuming a significant portion of individual carbon budgets that scientists say we need to stay within to limit warming to safe levels.

However, the solutions are within reach. Decarbonizing the electric grid that powers our digital infrastructure offers the most significant potential for impact. Combined with keeping devices longer, improving efficiency, and making conscious choices about our digital consumption, we can significantly reduce the internet’s climate impact without sacrificing the benefits of connectivity.

The digital revolution has transformed how we work, learn, and connect. Now it’s time for a green digital revolution—one that harnesses the power of technology while respecting planetary boundaries. The future of our climate and our connected world depends on getting this balance right!