DIGITAL CARBON FOOTPRINT

INTRODUCTION

Digitalization requires no introduction; it has become a sine qua non of our daily life. There is not a single day when we do not associate with technology. Digitalization has improved efficiency and productivity in almost all sectors, however, this comes with a price.

When we talk about activities that are a threat to the environment we generally think of vehicular emissions, industrial emissions or burning fossil fuels. These activities are no doubt a serious threat to the environment however another reason that is not known to many is digital technology.

Every second we spend on streaming video, scrolling social media, or browsing the internet a carbon footprint is attached to it. Every time send a WhatsApp message a carbon footprint is attached to it, the same is for email and the nights we spend watching Netflix add exorbitantly to the carbon footprint.

Additionally, with the advent of COVID-19, the situation deteriorated further. COVID-19 necessitated the use of online platforms and hence digital carbon footprint grew exponentially.

DIGITAL CARBON FOOTPRINT

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse emission produced by an individual or an organization expressed in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent. Similarly, all our digital interactions define our digital footprints, hence digital footprint is a unique set of traceable online digital activities. A digital carbon footprint is the amount of emission of CO2 through digital technologies.

In Today’s era, prime importance is given to the advantages of digital technologies, ignoring the threat that it causes to the environment. All the digital actions that we do, from the streaming of video to replying to a text, consume electricity which is powered by coal-fired power plants. Smartphones, which are now a norm, are made up of rare earth metals that are listed under the endangered list e.g., gallium, yttrium etc.

According to the report by Greenpeace, Information and Communication Technology sector is responsible for 8% of the world’s energy consumption and this is expected to increase.

Another area of concern is a cryptocurrency, which is fledging now. Cryptocurrency relies on a digital ledger, with no authority to govern its transactions, and it consumes a huge amount of energy. A study in 2014 released that bitcoin alone consumed as much energy as Ireland. This hence poses a serious threat to the environment.

In 2020 digital data amounted to almost 4% of the total greenhouse gas emission and it is expected to rise exponentially by 2025 hence a little policy attention is necessary in order to reduce the carbon footprint.

IMPACT OF COVID-19

The COVID-19 lockdown helped to reduce carbon emissions by 17% according to the World Economic Forum, however, this is only one side of the coin, on the other hand, COVID-19 resulted in excessive use of digital platforms and hence contributed exponentially to the digital carbon footprint.

Further, there is also a behavioural change seen in people after the pandemic, they prefer online shopping, online food and similar digital alternatives in education, payments of bills etc.

The Cumulative effect of all these factors necessitates digital sustainability at the global level.

POLICIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DIGITALISATION

Environmental crisis or climate change is a global phenomenon and hence requires global efforts to mitigate it. Further digital technologies affect the whole world without any distinction. Currently, USA and China are the major contributors to the digital carbon footprint and this needs to be put to check.

Platforms like G7 or G20 deal with the major issues related to global economies, in the recently held summit of G20 the member states committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Further, India in COP26 announced Panchamrit which is five nectar elements to deal with climate change.

Additionally, steps like Green IT, and Energy Star also play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions. Green IT is a practice of sustainable use of technology, it involves more ecological practices like cloud storage, effective disposal systems etc. Adopting Green IT also rise the goodwill of the company as it shows that a company respects society’s values.

Singapore's green plan 2030, is yet another major step toward a sustainable future. It is a plan to achieve net zero carbon emission by mid-century. Many other countries around the world have a system of taxing carbon or energy tax which is taxing the emission of CO2. This system is used as an incentive to reduce carbon emissions.

Therefore, it is imperative that the issue of climate change cannot be solved by a single country or organization it requires effort from each one of us and it is obvious that the political goals of each country differ hence their outlook towards digital sustainability will differ, however, the question of reducing carbon footprint is independent of national security hence energy-efficient plans could be implemented globally.

SUGGESTIONS: SUSTAINABLE MEASURES

1. E-WASTE- There should be a reduction in electronic waste, each year millions of tons of electronic waste are generated and out of this only 10% (approx.) is recycled. It is advised that the same device should be used as long as it lasts instead of purchasing a new model as soon as it launches. Further, the disposal of electronic waste should be done with due care.

2. LIMITING USAGE- Streaming online any video alone results in the generation of 300 million tons of CO2 per year. This can reduce if people manage their streaming time and use social media in moderation. Further viewing video in lower resolution also reduces emissions.

3. E-MAILS- Emails nowadays are an imperative part of our life, and each person has not only one account but several accounts. Hence, it’s clear that we use email in abundance, and as a result of this even though email causes less emission yet the cumulative effect is huge. This could be reduced if while sending an email people reduce the size of attachments or reduce the resolution of images, also unnecessary email distributions should be unsubscribed. Further emails should be deleted frequently and unnecessary responses (like Thank you) shouldn’t be sent.

4. SWITCHING TO RENEWABLE SOURCES- Digital devices are powered by energy hence if energy is from a renewable resource (like a solar panel) there would be no greenhouse gas emission.

5. CLOUD SPACE- Cloud space is Google drive or Dropbox which stores files and data. These files should be deleted periodically

CONCLUSION

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector has been advancing for the last seventy years. The Digital world today has become so significant that there is widespread awareness regarding the threats that it causes to the environment and climate. From endless online meetings to a gazillion of apps we are consumed with being online.

However, digitalization has also provided an innovative solution to protect the environment and climate change, because of digitalization we can hear voices from all across the globe for the protection of the environment, there are innumerable articles and blogs with respect to climate change and this generate awareness among the masses.

Digital sustainability is a global concern and it is an issue that is gaining significant momentum thus the solution can be reached only by awareness. Each one of us should inflict a change in our digital habits, thus it is a war which can be won ‘byte by byte’.

By

Insha Khan

III BA LLB

ILS LAW COLLEGE, PUNE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Digitalization and sustainability https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721036111

2. What is digital carbon footprint https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint

3. Effects of digitalization https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/dark-data-is-killing-the-planet-we-need-digital-decarbonisation/

4. Cryptocurrency and carbon footprint https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/as-cryptocurrency-becomes-mainstream-its-carbon-footprint-can-t-be-ignored-81118

Singapore’s Green plan https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/