In today’s digital age, our inboxes are constantly overflowing with emails, ranging from work-related communication to promotional spam. While emails have transformed information exchange, one may wonder about the energy required for data storage and transmission and its potential environmental impact on the expanding carbon footprint.
Could your email hoarding habits also be contributing to climate change? Could something as simple as deleting emails significantly reduce our collective carbon footprint?
Is it true?
Verdict:
TRUE
The answer is yes. Even sending and storing emails has a carbon footprint. So far, in 2023, over 347.3 billion emails have been sent every day.
Every year, our email usage adds up to about 40kg of CO2, about the same amount of CO2 you would emit if you drove a small petrol car about 200km.
One major factor contributing to the carbon footprint of emails is many individuals and organisations store emails indefinitely, even if they hold little practical value.
A study concluded that global data centres consumed around 200 terawatt-hours of electricity in
2019, accounting for roughly 1% of the world’s energy usage. This is why email hoarding leads to larger inboxes, necessitating more data storage and, subsequently, more energy.
As our world becomes increasingly digitized, the environmental impact of our online activities has real consequences. The carbon footprint of emails, though relatively small, plays a significant role in our planet’s escalating climate crisis.
While deleting emails and spam alone won’t single-handedly save the planet, it highlights the importance of adopting more sustainable practices and collectively contributing to a more eco-friendly digital landscape.
References:
1.https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2023/02/23/how-eco-friendly-is-it-to-delete-your-emails/
2.https://www.graygroupintl.com/blog/reduce-carbon-footprint
