Words by Smiley Team
When it comes to tackling climate change, we know a lot has to change to reduce carbon emissions. But so far, much of the attention has focused on aviation, transport and food industries – as well as solutions such as solar panels and heat pumps.
But the story doesn’t end there. Reports suggest the carbon footprint of our gadgets, the internet and the essential systems supporting them account for 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions, which is the same as the airline industry. And, shockingly, these emissions are predicted to double by 2025.
According to the Institution of Engineering and Technology, many of us fail to realise the damage scrolling, snapping, and signing up to that never read email newsletter is also doing to the planet, with huge amounts of carbon used to service and store data.
The dirtiest data habits include failing to delete duplicated pictures from our phones, using two or more devices at once, passive streaming – which is focusing on another device when streaming TV or video content – failing to clear archives from messaging services, such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, and holding onto old text messages.
(Read more about whether Tech Zero could really help the climate crisis)
Chris Cartwright, chair of the Digital Panel at the IET, said: “In our ever more connected lives, the data we now rely so much on also comes with a hidden carbon cost. Unsurprisingly, most of us don’t realise that our use of cloud storage means huge, power-hungry data centres are needed.
“The vast majority of data in the world today has been generated in the past two years; a trend showing no signs of slowing. This is why we all have a responsibility to change our habits.”
Here are the IET’s top tips for lowering your carbon footprint and becoming more sustainable online:
Delete the dupes
Simply deleting unwanted shots could make a huge difference to your carbon footprint.
Clean out your cloud
Don’t forget about your cloud storage. Clean this out regularly to slash your emissions.
(Learn more about this tech pioneer who donated more than $5.5 billion)
Wipe the WhatsApps
Spring clean your messages, and get yourself in the habit of deleting old groups you don’t use anymore.
Unsubscribe all
When you’re deleting emails from your inbox, take a minute to think about if you need to be subscribed to that mailing list at all. Save space, and the planet!
Face free day
If you don’t need your camera on for meetings, occasionally turn it off to save data.
Step away from the phone
When watching TV, or a streaming service, put your phone away. Maybe even leave it in another room to resist the temptation to scroll as you watch.
Auto play: off
Switch off the ‘auto play next episode’ function on your streaming services and use the handy ‘sleep timer’ on your devices if you listen to music or podcasts as you drift off.
You can find out more about your dirty data carbon footprint and how to develop more sustainable data habits via the IET website.
