Impact of Digital Activities and Digital Carbon Footprint

The digital carbon footprint refers to the environmental impact and carbon emissions associated with the use of the internet and digital technologies. For example, sending an e-mail or watching an online video consumes energy. This consumption includes elements such as the operation of data centers, the energy needs of devices, and the use of cooling systems. Each digital activity consumes electricity and causes carbon emissions. Being aware of the digital carbon footprint is the first step towards reducing its impact on the environment.

According to a study published in Nature Communications in 2024, which evaluated the life cycle of all the infrastructure and electricity required to support the online activities of an average internet user; the average internet user spends 3230 hours per year consuming digital content. 730 hours of this time is spent browsing the web, 894 hours on social media, 833 hours streaming video, 566 hours streaming music, and 207 hours video conferencing on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. The same study states that the average internet user’s digital consumption results in 229 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is approximately 3-4% of the average greenhouse gas emissions per person.

The Dark Side of AI: While AI is making major advances in many sectors, its environmental impact is often overlooked. From natural language models to complex image recognition systems, the large data processing requirements of AI applications bring with them significant energy consumption. Data centers hosting AI services not only run on powerful servers, but also use intensive cooling systems, further increasing energy requirements. As AI systems develop and require more data, the carbon footprint of these technologies also grows. Each model update or training cycle increases energy consumption, creating a digital carbon footprint that rivals traditional energy-intensive industries. Investing in energy-efficient systems and developing sustainable applications to reduce the environmental impact of AI is critical to reducing the environmental damage this technology causes as it advances.

The Environmental Impact of Data Centers: Data centers are one of the biggest culprits of the digital carbon footprint. Every transaction that takes place over the internet, such as watching videos, sending emails, and downloading files, requires data to be processed, stored, and transmitted. These transactions are carried out in data centers. However, data centers require a lot of energy to operate. When cooling systems are included, energy consumption increases even more. The total energy consumption of data centers worldwide is equal to the annual energy consumption of some small countries.

Today, data centers operate 24/7. Although most data centers get their energy from fossil fuels, efforts to use renewable energy sources are also increasing. Data centers around the world account for 2.5 to 3.7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions due to the energy they consume.

Cloud Technology and Carbon Footprint: Cloud technology means storing and sharing data over the internet. Thanks to cloud systems, users can share files and access applications from anywhere. However, cloud services also cause a lot of energy consumption. Considering that these systems are stored and run in data centers, energy consumption is quite high. According to a study, cloud technologies are responsible for an estimated 1.8 percent of US electricity consumption and the majority of emissions of many technology companies. Cloud technology now has a carbon footprint larger than the airline industry. A single data center can consume the equivalent of 50,000 homes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sustainable solutions to reduce the environmental impact of cloud technology.

Smart Devices and Digital Consumption: Smartphones, tablets, computers and other digital devices also create environmental impact. The production process of these devices consumes a large amount of energy. The rare metals and chemicals used in production harm the environment. In addition, the constant charging of devices and energy consumption increases the carbon footprint. Although digital devices are indispensable to modern life, they need to be used carefully to reduce their negative impact on the environment.

One of the biggest triggers of digital carbon footprint is video streaming services. Watching high-resolution videos on platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok causes a lot of energy consumption. Watching videos in 4K or HD resolution means using more data. This means higher energy consumption and carbon emissions. Steps can be taken to reduce the environmental impact of video streaming services, such as choosing a lower resolution or watching offline.

Although sending or receiving an email seems like a simple process, even this process requires energy consumption. Especially unnecessary emails, spam messages, and emails with large attachments harm the environment more. Millions of people around the world send hundreds of thousands of emails every day, which leads to energy waste. It is important to be environmentally friendly when using email, delete unnecessary messages, and use spam filters effectively.

Social media platforms also play a role in increasing digital carbon footprint. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter contain content stored in large data centers. Each photo, video, and post causes energy consumption. Avoiding unnecessary content consumption and reducing the time spent on these platforms when using social media can help reduce your carbon footprint.

• Choosing Energy-Efficient Devices: The first step to reducing your digital carbon footprint is to use energy-efficient devices. Using devices for longer periods of time, not replacing them frequently, and using energy-saving modes reduces energy consumption. Choosing features such as energy-saving screens, batteries, and power-saving modes helps reduce your carbon footprint. The environmental impact of digital devices can be minimized with conscious consumption.

• Methods to Reduce Data Usage: Another way to reduce your digital carbon footprint is to reduce data usage. Video and audio streaming consumes a significant amount of energy. In fact, video streaming accounts for 75% of global data traffic. For example, choosing lower resolution instead of watching high-resolution videos reduces energy consumption. At the same time, deleting unnecessary files and applications and reducing internet usage also reduces your digital carbon footprint. Reducing the time spent on the internet both saves energy and reduces the negative impact on the environment. Carbon emissions can be reduced by downloading content instead of watching multiple broadcasts and turning off autoplay on YouTube and other video streaming services.

• Organizing Email and Storage Habits: Organizing email and cloud storage habits is also effective in reducing carbon footprint. Deleting unnecessary emails and using spam filters effectively is beneficial for the environment. It is also important to clean storage areas regularly and avoid unnecessary data consumption. Returning to physical storage or using cloud space carefully stands out as an environmentally sensitive approach.

Sustainable Data Center Management: Companies are investing in sustainable data centers to reduce their digital carbon footprint. Companies that reduce their energy consumption by using renewable energy sources minimize their impact on the environment. Carbon-neutral data centers and energy-efficient cooling systems play an important role in reducing the environmental damage of data centers. In addition, low-energy-consuming hardware is preferred to minimize carbon emissions.

Increasing Employee Digital Awareness: Reducing the digital carbon footprint is not possible only with infrastructural changes. It is also important for companies to educate their employees about their digital carbon footprint.

Sending an email with a large attachment can have the same carbon footprint as driving a car for a kilometer! Cloud-based solutions can be used to reduce the size of emails. Energy consumption can be reduced with simple measures such as linking to online files instead of attaching documents, optimizing file sharing, reducing unnecessary emails, and unsubscribing from unwanted or unnecessary newsletters. Habits such as efficient use of online meetings and avoiding unnecessary data sharing can reduce environmental impact.

Environmentally Friendly Innovation in Digital Products and Services: Companies are developing and using software and applications that reduce energy consumption to reduce their digital carbon footprint. Environmentally friendly digital products and services reduce users’ environmental impact by minimizing energy consumption.

Digital carbon footprint is one of the shadow costs of digitalization on the environment. However, it is possible to reduce this impact with simple measures taken both individually and institutionally. Using energy-efficient devices, adopting environmentally friendly digital habits, companies investing in green energy and raising employee awareness contribute to reducing negative impacts on the environment. For a sustainable digital world, it is of great importance to manage our dependence on technology in a balanced way and reduce our digital carbon footprint.