Climate experts from the University of Exeter have launched an innovative tool that analyzes the environmental impact of the internet and reveals its hidden ecological cost.
The platform, called ‘Digital Impact for Species’, allows users to calculate how much pollution each website we visit generates.
The internet generates 3.7% of global carbon emissions, a figure that surpasses that of aviation, a sector historically considered to have high emissions.
With these numbers, if internet usage were a country, it would be the fourth largest polluter in the world.
How the calculator that analyzes the environmental impact of the internet works
To calculate the environmental impact of any website on the internet, simply paste the URL into the tool’s search bar.
It then displays a global rating from A+ to F, along with specific data about the environmental damage.
“When we visit a website on the internet, we rarely think about the environmental impact,” explained Dr. Marcos Oliveira Jr., project leader of the nature impact and climate team at Exeter.
However, he noted that “there is a high cost, from the energy consumed as information travels from the data center to the computer or mobile phone, to the water used to cool the servers.”
The tool, developed in collaboration with Madeby.studio, goes beyond standard metrics of CO₂ emissions, water, and energy consumption and considers the real environmental impact of the internet.
The case of YouTube: revealing data
For example, YouTube.com, which processes billions of searches each month, received a C rating.
In particular, each visit to a page on this popular internet site generates 0.249 g of CO₂, uses 0.0011 liters of water, and 0.62 Wh of energy, a high environmental impact.
Thus, for every 9000 monthly visits, ten liters of water are needed, enough for a capuchin monkey to live for 77 days.
With that number of visits, it would take an Amazon rainforest tree 41 days to absorb the produced CO₂ levels.
Additionally, 9000 monthly visits to YouTube consume 6 kWh of energy, equivalent to the daily energy consumption of 1000 Anna’s hummingbirds for 332 days, reveals the site that measures the environmental impact of the internet.
How the measurement works of the site that measures the environmental impact of the internet
The tool uses Google PageSpeed Insights to measure the exact size of all resources loaded when opening a page. If PageSpeed is not available, it resorts to the sector’s average page weight.
It then uses data from the Green Web Foundation to determine if the site is hosted on servers powered by renewable energy or fossil fuels.
With the Sustainable Web Design model, it calculates the CO₂ emissions, energy use, and water consumption per visit.
The metrics are translated into “easy-to-understand nature comparisons” thanks to a database of species with scientific sources.
Recommendations to reduce the digital footprint
The researchers pointed out that the responsibility mainly falls on web hosting providers.
Consumers can only truly reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact by searching less on the internet.
In turn, to reduce the environmental impact of an internet site, experts recommend:
- Using fewer images
- Limiting the use of fonts
- Simplifying navigation
- Avoiding videos when possible
- Choosing green web hosting with renewable energy
- Eliminating unnecessary code
- Following SEO optimization guidelines
“It’s not about pointing fingers and shaming sites with a high environmental footprint, but about engaging people and stimulating debate on how to build a more sustainable internet with less environmental impact,” added Dr. Oliveira Jr.
The tool aims to raise awareness about the hidden impact of our digital activity and encourage changes towards a greener web.
