Dr. Anastasia Dedyukhina, Director of the Consciously Digital Institute, explains how our routine online activities contribute to energy consumption and resource depletion, highlighting why everyone should care about sustainable digital practices.
Does your website load with large images or autoplay videos?
Do you ask ChatGPT random questions out of boredom or loneliness, or create Gibbly-style selfies? Send emails with attachments to multiple people? Join several video calls daily? Stream Netflix while cooking or play music on YouTube in the background?
Many of us do these things every day – without realizing how our small actions add up. From the mining of rare minerals to produce devices (which we seldom recycle) to the immense pressure our habits place on energy-hungry data centres, our digital lives are having a growing impact on the planet.
Last year, the internet surpassed the airline industry in global CO₂ emissions. While aviation accounts for roughly 2.5% of emissions, digital services and data centres now contribute an estimated 3–4%.
Source: The Shift Project
Although that may seem small compared to the meat industry, it’s growing rapidly – especially due to the rise of AI, which demands more data centres and new devices.
In the UK, parts of West London (including Hillingdon, Ealing, and Hounslow) have frozen new housing construction until 2035 because data centres in nearby Slough are overwhelming the local power grid.
In the U.S., 256 new data centres are planned in addition to the existing 1,088, which will more than double the IT sector’s power capacity – from ~13 GW to ~27.5 GW by 2027 – making the U.S. the global leader in data centre numbers.
The Greenwashing Problem
Because renewable sources alone can’t meet data centre demands reliably, big tech is scaling back sustainability goals. For example, Microsoft’s real emissions have disrupted its “carbon-negative” plan.
In parallel, these companies are also reshaping carbon accounting standards – often to appear greener than they are. Some buy renewable energy certificates from clean-energy grids to offset emissions from data centres in fossil-fuel-powered regions. For example, buying a certificate tied to renewable energy produced in one part of the country with a clean energy grid to offset power used by a data centre in a less “clean” region.
This isn’t just about carbon. Local electricity costs can rise because of data centres. These facilities often receive discounted rates, shifting higher costs to other consumers.
And then there’s the water. Data centres consume vast amounts to cool their systems, often releasing it as vapor instead of returning it to the source – impacting local ecosystems.
A Nature-Friendly Website
If you work in digital, there’s a lot you can do – starting with your own website or product.
Rethink your design.
An eco-friendly website is “light” – it avoids autoplay videos and excessive content loading. For example, www.consciously-digital.com has a carbon rating of C (cleaner than 55% of websites), while BBC.com rates an F and emits 0.86g of CO₂ per visit. With 436 million monthly visitors, that’s a yearly footprint needing 204,431 trees to absorb.
Speak to your product manager or CTO. If environmental arguments don’t land, appeal to ESG reporting benefits. (Yes, it’s cringy – but meeting people where they are might be the first step.)
Embed Digital Sustainability in ESG Policy
Digital habits affect more than mental health – they impact the planet.
A single email with an attachment emits 3g of CO₂ – 10 times more than a plain text email.
A 1-hour Zoom call with 5 participants emits ~1-1.2kg CO₂ (depending on usage and device).
What can your company or a team do?
Adopt policy for certain digital behaviours, for example:
Shut down computers after work hours.
Limit video calls; encourage audio-only or walking meetings (They are also known to increase productivity).
Create policies for data deletion after a certain period. Inform clients of your data retention policies.
Encourage device recycling, extend hardware lifespan, and allow employees to use personal devices.
Discourage unnecessary AI usage – remind employees the human brain is still more energy-efficient than any machine.
Change your own digital habits
Delay upgrading your device or buying a new one for yourself or as a present unless it’s really needed – over 80% of emissions from devices happen during production before you even unwrap your new phone.
Reduce the hours of video-streamed meetings – make them shorter, keep video off, use phone instead of video conferencing (videos have the biggest impact). One hour of video streaming per day annually = drive from London to Newquay
If you regularly stream the same movie/music, consider downloading it instead
Delete unused videos, photos and other large files from your cloud storage.
Try to avoid sending emails with large attachments to multiple people.
Limit your social media usage. While one “like” only creates 0.0475 grams of CO₂, one billion “likes” produces ~47.5 metric tons CO2, which is the same as driving approximately for 190,000 km. You’d need ~2,159 trees absorbing CO₂ for an entire year!
Limit mindless interactions with ChatGPT or other generative AI. If you are feeling lonely, talk to a human. Seriously.
This might feel overwhelming. But small, consistent actions can spark broader change. Your example might inspire co-workers, friends, or even your children.
Become an advocate for greener tech use – and help create a more sustainable digital world.
Is your digital life harming the planet?
ARTICLE SUMMARY
Does your website load with large images or autoplay videos?
Do you ask ChatGPT random questions out of boredom or loneliness, or create Gibbly-style selfies? Send emails with attachments to multiple people? Join several video calls daily? Stream Netflix while cooking or play music on YouTube in the background?
Many of us do these things every day – without realizing how our small actions add up. From the mining of rare minerals to produce devices (which we seldom recycle) to the immense pressure our habits place on energy-hungry data centres, our digital lives are having a growing impact on the planet.
Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina, Director, Consciously Digital Institute, shares why we should care – even if you don’t work in ESG.
The energy demand – why should you care?
Last year, the internet surpassed the airline industry in global CO₂ emissions. While aviation accounts for roughly 2.5% of emissions, digital services and data centres now contribute an estimated 3–4%.
Although that may seem small compared to the meat industry, it’s growing rapidly – especially due to the rise of AI, which demands more data centres and new devices.
In the UK, parts of West London (including Hillingdon, Ealing, and Hounslow) have frozen new housing construction until 2035 because data centres in nearby Slough are overwhelming the local power grid.
In the U.S., 256 new data centres are planned in addition to the existing 1,088, which will more than double the IT sector’s power capacity – from ~13 GW to ~27.5 GW by 2027 – making the U.S. the global leader in data centre numbers.
The Greenwashing Problem
Because renewable sources alone can’t meet data centre demands reliably, big tech is scaling back sustainability goals. For example, Microsoft’s real emissions have disrupted its “carbon-negative” plan.
While some tech companies are investing in private nuclear plants, these won’t be operational for another 10 years.
In parallel, these companies are also reshaping carbon accounting standards – often to appear greener than they are. Some buy renewable energy certificates from clean-energy grids to offset emissions from data centres in fossil-fuel-powered regions. For example, buying a certificate tied to renewable energy produced in one part of the country with a clean energy grid to offset power used by a data centre in a less “clean” region.
This isn’t just about carbon. Local electricity costs can rise because of data centres. These facilities often receive discounted rates, shifting higher costs to other consumers.
And then there’s the water. Data centres consume vast amounts to cool their systems, often releasing it as vapor instead of returning it to the source – impacting local ecosystems.
A Nature-Friendly Website
If you work in digital, there’s a lot you can do – starting with your own website or product.
Rethink your design.
An eco-friendly website is “light” – it avoids autoplay videos and excessive content loading. For example, www.consciously-digital.com has a carbon rating of C (cleaner than 55% of websites), while BBC.com rates an F and emits 0.86g of CO₂ per visit. With 436 million monthly visitors, that’s a yearly footprint needing 204,431 trees to absorb.
Check your hosting.
Make sure your site or app is hosted on a green server. Use this tool: https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/green-web-check/. If your host isn’t green, research alternatives and advocate for change.
Don’t have design control?
Speak to your product manager or CTO. If environmental arguments don’t land, appeal to ESG reporting benefits. (Yes, it’s cringy – but meeting people where they are might be the first step.)
Embed Digital Sustainability in ESG Policy
Digital habits affect more than mental health – they impact the planet.
What can your company or a team do?
Adopt policy for certain digital behaviours, for example:
Change your own digital habits
This might feel overwhelming. But small, consistent actions can spark broader change. Your example might inspire co-workers, friends, or even your children.
Become an advocate for greener tech use – and help create a more sustainable digital world.
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