internet and the environment

by Chris
(USA)

Infographic by WordStream Internet Marketing Software

Barry's Response - Thank you Chris for this infographic.

Interesting?

My readers will find it quite interesting indeed. This includes the effects of reducing energy wasted through commuting, which is slightly balanced by the carbon emissions generated by Google and other web servers. Even if you take the wasteful practices of spam and online addictions in account, the web is a GOOD deal, energy-wise.

Here, I summarize it in greater detail now.

How does using the internet change the climate?

Does it give us higher CO2 emissions and is that worth it?

With two billion users online, most of which are still in North America, we could expect to see some changes in the character of our emissions. Predictions hypothesize that the whole world could be using the world wide web in just a few years, if that not taken place already.

Well, going online is a relatively efficient use of electrical energy at least, and today's devices get smaller and smaller, using less electricity with each new generation of technology.

The bottom line is that energy use has dropped substantially, as the statistics show. Especially when compared to car traffic. Imagine if it were to enable all of us to telecommute instead of driving every day.

Best thing since sliced bread? Maybe. Its emissions are not zero, though and there is a lot of activity. It gets worse when that activity is used for wasteful efforts, such as sending and receiving spam and scams. Overusing the net in an addictive way also wastes resources, so its good to keep a tab on things.

Still, from an emissions point of view, the net effect appears positive.

Chris, I feel you. Is the internet saving ecosystems? One click away from the Rapture of the Router! Let's unpack both science and scripture.

David Phillips, our friendly, fact-filled Canadian weather bard, has long reminded us how natural variations in climate, like sun tantrums, ocean burps, and volcanic gassy outbursts, can affect our weather. There's more to it than smokestacks and SUVs. We're backup dancers in a celestial dance.

Is the internet warming the planet?

Like a hockey team in overtime, data centers guzzle juice. However, it saves millions of carbon-belching commutes, prints fewer pages, and virtually eliminates long-distance emissions. It's like swapping your 1978 Buick for an e-bike powered by solar power.

You're right, digital slop drowns the good. Mining crypto, spamming, doomscrolling...it's like filtering whiskey with a water filter. The wrong tool, the wrong result.

The principle of digital stewardship is to manage what God has given us wisely and humbly.

Some climate alarmists ignore natural climate drivers and cling to models like a toddler. Models are just glorified Excel sheets that sometimes forget about the sun. They predicted an Arctic summer without ice in 2013? That went well, didn't it?

Light (literal and intellectual) should shine into the crowded backrooms where science meets politics. Yes, follow the science, but not just the grant-funded stuff.

What's my verdict?

The internet can be good for the environment if used wisely. Let's use it to challenge orthodoxy and maybe, just maybe, restore sanity to climate discourse. I'm off to see if my smart fridge is back to tweeting.

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