The internet has fundamentally changed our society; the rate at which information can be broadcasted and consumed is at a level unlike any other time in human history. This has caused all people to recognize the importance of the internet and the need to improve its ability. However, how has the implementation of the internet on this global scale affected the environment; most importantly, what are innovative solutions that will allow for the growth of the internet, but also protect our natural world.
How Does the Internet Impact the Environment
The internet and its infrastructure produced 1.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2019[1]. Currently, this number is much larger than that, likely many times 1.4 billion tonnes. The primary source of carbon emissions from the internet is the high energy consumption required by its infrastructure. For example, in 2023, data centers used 7.4 GW of electricity[2], enough to power 5.5 million households[3]. Furthermore, physical structures such as data towers and undersea cables harm the environment in various ways. The thousands of miles of undersea cables disrupt the serene environment of the deep sea, increasing turbidity and introducing excess heat. A study in 2021 found that the radiation that data towers emit can cause migratory, reproductive, developmental, and mating disorders in nearby plants and animals[4].
Solutions
The high level of energy consumption from data centers and other internet infrastructure can be made green by replacing the non-renewable energy used to power these structures with renewable energy. The renewable energy switch is already in motion with much support from governments, companies, and organizations alike. So, in due time, this sector of emissions from the internet should be mitigated. However, the effect of these physical structures that are required for connectivity to the internet is an area where further research is required to dictate a path forward. As these buildings are crucial to keeping the internet online, adaptations and innovations must be made to mitigate their environmental impact. Some examples can be adapting the casing of deep-sea cables to allow organisms to use them as anchor points and grow on them. There are many more impacts of the internet than listed here, and to minimize each one of them whilst allowing for the continued development of the internet is a multidisciplinary problem. Progress is being made, and each day, we get closer to utilizing each aspect of the environment to its fullest, allowing us to protect the environment whilst utilizing it to better our own technologies.
Bibliography
[1] https://theshiftproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lean-ICT-Report_The-Shift-Project_2019.pdf
The Green Analysis 
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