The extreme fluctuations in weather and climate patterns have become more frequent in recent times, posing a major concern for humanity today. Often these climate changes can be attributed to the amount of CO2 we collectively produce, which exceeds the amount the planet can absorb. From burning fossil fuels while driving to cranking up the furnace, we are responsible for releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  All the greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide) emitted due to our actions cumulatively form our carbon footprint. 

Many people are unaware that even our less obvious activities like using the internet add to our carbon footprint and contribute to global warming. Digital technologies contribute to almost 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and experts predict this number can double by 2025.

Although the internet’s data is highly invisible, it is processed and stored in massive data centres worldwide. These data centres are powered 24/7 and contribute extensively to carbon emissions caused by their energy consumption. These centres are always ready to send all kinds of information, including news, videos, music, memes, and messages, to our digital devices. This entire data that we’ve grown used to having at our fingertips accumulates to our digital carbon footprints. So, remember that every time you click on something, you are polluting the planet further.

We contribute to our growing ‘ digital carbon footprint even while surfing the web or sending mail using our digital gadgets. Therefore, it is time to reduce our digital carbon footprint and live more sustainably. If you intend to limit the environmental effect of your online activities, here is a list of five easy ways to cut down on your digital carbon footprint.

Try to clean your crammed inbox regularly. Each email you store contributes to emitting nearly 10 grams of CO2 per year. Moreover, every mail you exchange consumes specific units of computing power & electricity. Instead of sending large attachments to many people, provide a link to a file-sharing platform and, preferably, use text format instead of HTML wherever possible.

You can also unsubscribe to the newsletters you don’t read, thereby reducing the number of emails in your inbox. You can also report spam emails to ensure that you don’t receive them repeatedly; that way, you won’t have to delete unnecessary emails. 

A small step, like decreasing the brightness of your computer monitor from 100% to 70% or below, can conserve almost 20% of the energy consumed by the monitor. By simply getting the brightness down to your optimum comfort level, you can quickly and easily bring down your carbon footprint.

Also, instead of leaving your computer in sleep mode, it is better to turn off your computer or any electronic equipment when they are not in use. Although the energy consumed by the computer in sleep mode is minimum, the fact that it is consumed when the gadget is asleep implies that it is effectively wasted. 

Although it may seem trivial, every search query you enter in a search engine and every file you upload to the cloud utilizes power. Hence, try to maintain accuracy while searching to avoid doing it multiple times. Also, try opening only the tabs you need and closing the unnecessary ones while using the search engine.

It is a good idea to assign bookmarks to your set of commonly surfed websites rather than searching them afresh every time. Also, try using eco-friendly search engines, like Ecosia, which funds planting trees from their profit through online searches to counterpoise their environmental impact.

Most websites you visit transmit your data to hundreds of companies. Hence, always remember to turn on strict data tracking protection on your device.