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The Climate Cost of a Google Search?


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The Climate Cost of a Google Search?
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2009-01-12, 08:40

Never thought of it this way but it's an interesting thing to ponder, given our situation on the blue sphere. And it could of course extend to all web sites with high traffic *cough*... Bradley, are we being served from from a green provider??

Anyway, all funnehs aside here's the linkage.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7823387.stm

Study claims
Quote:
Two search requests on the internet website Google produce "as much carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle", according to a Harvard University academic.
Google claims this is way off the mark... but either way it's good to have huge web companies being audited like this to keep them honest. We hope. Moreover this is a topic we should all consider as we get light-bulb angst and watch Greensville every night. How much CO2 do we all put in the air every day by uh... making random intarweb posts, chat, online deathmatches, etc.? Not only our computer's energy but server energy as well. I can see how the sky-rocketing demand for server space and the like could be a huge climate challenge in the years ahead as the technology becomes cheaper and spreads even to more poor and rural areas. Something to think about....

...into the light of a dark black night.
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noleli2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Chicago
 
2009-01-12, 11:13

It definitely is an interesting way of looking at things, but don't forget that Google has saved many a trip to the local library on many occasions (not to mention printed phone books).

From TechCrunch:
Quote:
And isn’t it possible that Google may actually be helping the environment in some ways? I can’t count how many times I’ve been able to use Google in lieu of driving to the library to look up a fact (each car trip would have had carbon costs orders of magnitude larger than that Google search). I’ve used Google Transit dozens of times to figure out train and bus schedules so that I wouldn’t have to drive my car.
And just to put it in perspective, the same TC article points out that a cheeseburger has a carbon footprint of 3600 g.

Besides, as data densities go up, less power will be required to store the same amount of data. So I'm not worried.
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Dorian Gray
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Paris, France
 
2009-01-12, 20:36

This is indeed interesting to think about, and I've done so before, coming to the conclusion that I should bookmark sites I regularly visit rather than Google them needlessly each time.

However, the idea that two searches use the same energy as boiling a cup of water is so obviously absurd that anyone with a feel for physics will spot it a mile away. I'm amazed the BBC publish this kind of silliness! Google would consume more energy than a mid-size country if that were the case, and they'd be bankrupt a hundred times over by their electric bills. The whole business model of Google relies on searches being extremely cheap, which certainly means they don't consume that kind of energy.

Of far greater concern I think is the energy used by home computers, which are overpowered and inefficient (particularly desktops, though Apple's mini and iMac are among the better ones). Now, if someone could do a study on how many megawatts Adobe's Flash is responsible for globally at any moment, that would be truly eye-watering. As I speak a Flash add is consuming about 50% of my G4's CPU (maybe 8 or 10 watts?) doing absolutely nothing productive. Multiply that by about a billion and pretty scary numbers emerge.
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thegeriatric
geri to my friends
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Heaven
 
2009-01-12, 21:20

Quote:
Originally Posted by noleli2 View Post

And just to put it in perspective, the same TC article points out that a cheeseburger has a carbon footprint of 3600 g.

Shit and I thought that was just the calorie count!
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colivigan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
 
2009-01-12, 21:34

Google's response.
  quote
Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2009-01-12, 23:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorian Gray View Post

Of far greater concern I think is the energy used by home computers, which are overpowered and inefficient (particularly desktops, though Apple's mini and iMac are among the better ones). Now, if someone could do a study on how many megawatts Adobe's Flash is responsible for globally at any moment, that would be truly eye-watering. As I speak a Flash add is consuming about 50% of my G4's CPU (maybe 8 or 10 watts?) doing absolutely nothing productive. Multiply that by about a billion and pretty scary numbers emerge.
Someone should put this to Adobe... seriously. I'm as big a fan as anyone and a guy with ties to the company in certain respects but I think absolutely companies have to look at stuff like this not just from a performance standpoint but an energy usage standpoint.

...into the light of a dark black night.
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Swox
OK Mr. Sunshine!
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Toronto
 
2009-01-13, 02:51

I don't know how it does in Windows, but Flash is a major resource hog in OSX. A simple Flash movie or game can sometimes get my CPU's in my MBP from 64ºC to 80ºC in a few seconds.

Do not be oppressed by the forces of ignorance and delusion! But rise up now with resolve and courage! Entranced by ignorance, from beginningless time until now, You have had more than enough time to sleep. So do not slumber any longer, but strive after virtue with body, speech, and mind!
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