The impact of carbon dioxide on the environment is well documented.
Simply put, excess accumulation of this gas contributes to a hotter planet, increases ocean acidity levels, and produces more extreme weather conditions.
Protecting our resources is the best way to create a better future, so let’s go over 5 methods you can use to reduce your digital carbon footprint.
5 Ways to Reduce Your Digital Carbon Footprint
1. Stream Pooling
Streaming services consume a huge amount of energy and thus produce elevated carbon emissions. You can help mitigate this effect by streaming as a team from the same device with your friends and family members.
It may require some negotiation to choose something, but this can greatly reduce the amount of electricity your home consumes in peak usage hours.
In case you like streaming content from other countries or experiencing buffering, you can always opt for VPN Surfshark services that help bypass restrictions and speed throttling.
2. Limit Your AI Usage
One of the biggest challenges with artificial intelligence (AI) is the amount of energy required to operate this technology. It’s estimated that high-capacity data centers that power AI will be using more than 1,000 terawatt hours of electricity by 2026.
Not only this but the popularity and practicality of AI are projected to skyrocket over the next few years, potentially resulting in even higher consumption.
There’s little chance of stopping the AI revolution, but reducing your use of ChatGPT and similar platforms can have a significant impact on the environment.
3. Unplug Your Devices When Idle
A stunning 40% of your device’s electric consumption occurs when these gadgets are plugged in while turned off. The solution here is simple: if you’re not using a device, keep it unplugged.
This same concept applies to televisions and other appliances around your home. Unplugging every single one may be impractical, but it’s a good idea to keep devices you rarely use without electricity.
In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, keeping devices unplugged can even knock a few dollars off your power bill.
4. Play, Read, and Work Offline
Computers, smartphones, and tablets are often the central hubs for playing, reading, and working at home. Devices that are connected to the internet consume more power, but the good news is that modern gadgets don’t need to be constantly online.
If you spend a lot of time reading, playing, or working on your laptop, it’s a good idea to download your content and use it offline. This is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint on a daily basis, plus you still get to catch up with shows as well as work tasks.
5. Recycle and Repair Your Gadgets
Modern devices may have better energy consumption ratings, but the sheer process of manufacturing these devices has a massive environmental impact.
One of the best ways to combat this growing issue is to recycle and repair your devices. Some people even opt for purchasing pre-owned computers and smartphones, which helps them save money while reducing the effect they have on the atmosphere.
How Do Computers Generate a Carbon Footprint?
Computers don’t have any exhaust pipes, but they certainly produce carbon dioxide.
A desktop computer that runs for 8 hours a day can produce more than 70 grams of carbon dioxide. Over the span of a year, that adds up to a whopping 778 kilograms of emissions for every desktop out there.
Although they have a smaller footprint than large-scale computers, laptops and other common devices contribute to carbon emissions. So, it’s important to limit our usage as much as possible and take steps to reduce carbon dioxide as much as possible.
To Wrap Up
Reducing our carbon footprint can help slow climate change, but there are more digital devices than ever before.
So, in addition to the traditional ways of lowering emissions, we also have to start taking additional steps like monitoring the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere as a result of our digital activity.
Fortunately, you can lower your digital carbon footprint by streaming content with your friends, limiting your use of AI, and following other steps listed in this article.