The Internet and the environment seemingly exist on two different planes. The Internet is the virtual wonderland, whose key we keep in our back pocket in a smartphone or on a computer. Meanwhile the environment is becoming a more distant thing in people's lives. Our modern lives are heavily disconnected with the environment. This is of course not to say that we don't care about the environment just that we as a society no longer engage it in the same way we engage the Internet.
An important issue to tackle is the relationship between the Internet and the environment. They may seem to exist on two different planes but they still manage impact one another. First and foremost, the electricity used to connect to the Internet around the world is often powered by fossil-fuel power generation. Thus such as in the info-graphic below it becomes possible to make calculations such as that a Google search equates to the same release of CO2 as driving a car three inches. Or that the trillions of spam email sent each year can be equated to the emissions of 1.6 million cars. These calculations are so unbelievable because you never think that there could ever be a direct connection between your life on the web and the environment.
(From Mashable.com)
Now it's not all bad because the Internet creates opportunities that would never exist before like in telecommuting which allows individuals to work without ever leaving the comfort of their own home. Additionally, there people working to address the issues with the energy consumption behind the Internet. What we have to realize is that as our Internet becomes faster and more advanced it also picks up better mileage. What I mean by this is that the same way that cars evolved to need fewer gallons of gas per mile the Internet has evolved to consume fewer joules of energy per bit of data. So perhaps our drive for speed is helping to create a more green Internet now.
Beyond the direct implications that the existence of the Internet itself has on the environment there is also its ability to connect people with the environment. If you were someone from a landlocked state in Midwest America there's a chance you've never seen an ocean or a jungle in your life, and yet anyone is only one Internet search away from countless articles and images about either. The Internet accelerates communication to near instantaneous speeds and has raised awareness about world around us. In previous posts we've marveled at the Internet's ability to disseminate information; this applies to the environment as well. While there may be some drawbacks to the Internet, ultimately whether it is good or bad for the environment is determined by how we choose to use it.
An important issue to tackle is the relationship between the Internet and the environment. They may seem to exist on two different planes but they still manage impact one another. First and foremost, the electricity used to connect to the Internet around the world is often powered by fossil-fuel power generation. Thus such as in the info-graphic below it becomes possible to make calculations such as that a Google search equates to the same release of CO2 as driving a car three inches. Or that the trillions of spam email sent each year can be equated to the emissions of 1.6 million cars. These calculations are so unbelievable because you never think that there could ever be a direct connection between your life on the web and the environment.
(From Mashable.com)
Now it's not all bad because the Internet creates opportunities that would never exist before like in telecommuting which allows individuals to work without ever leaving the comfort of their own home. Additionally, there people working to address the issues with the energy consumption behind the Internet. What we have to realize is that as our Internet becomes faster and more advanced it also picks up better mileage. What I mean by this is that the same way that cars evolved to need fewer gallons of gas per mile the Internet has evolved to consume fewer joules of energy per bit of data. So perhaps our drive for speed is helping to create a more green Internet now.
Beyond the direct implications that the existence of the Internet itself has on the environment there is also its ability to connect people with the environment. If you were someone from a landlocked state in Midwest America there's a chance you've never seen an ocean or a jungle in your life, and yet anyone is only one Internet search away from countless articles and images about either. The Internet accelerates communication to near instantaneous speeds and has raised awareness about world around us. In previous posts we've marveled at the Internet's ability to disseminate information; this applies to the environment as well. While there may be some drawbacks to the Internet, ultimately whether it is good or bad for the environment is determined by how we choose to use it.
I personally believe that there isn't a trade-off between developing technology and environmental sustainability. There are many naysayers out there who believe that technology will soon replace nature and that technology is antithetical to the natural world. In my opinion, technology and the environment can be harmonized. As you mentioned in your post, the Internet saves us a lot of energy in ways we don't typically think of. Instead of having to drive to the library, we can study things at home. The Internet is perhaps one of the most effective labor saving devices in the history of humankind. However, I do agree that there are issues that need to be addressed. One place we can start is the use of polluting data centers. It takes a lot of energy to run servers because they often overheat and require cooling. The emissions generated by these data centers are huge. We need to find a way to promote self-sufficient and energy-efficient data centers. This would resolve many of the environmental drawbacks to using the Internet.
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