Is Google Killing Earth Softly or Not?

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There is an interesting debate taking place right now as to how much energy Google actually uses when you enter a search term. Some seem to think that Google's "carbon footprint" is larger than we might have expected.

The UK's Times Online stated yesterday that a single Google search generates 7g of CO2, versus around 15g for a tea kettle, something he calls a “definite environmental impact.”

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 Boiling a kettle generates about 15g. “Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact.”

However, there is another estimate in the piece, which is more favorable for Google:

A separate estimate from John Buckley, managing director of carbonfootprint.com, a British environmental consultancy, puts the CO2 emissions of a Google search at between 1g and 10g, depending on whether you have to start your PC or not. Simply running a PC generates between 40g and 80g per hour, he says. of CO2 Chris Goodall, author of Ten Technologies to Save the Planet, estimates the carbon emissions of a Google search at 7g to 10g (assuming 15 minutes’ computer use).

Well, gee, I guess we should all go back to driving our cars or taking a bus to the library to get information. That's certainly good for the planet.

Google did issue what seemed to be a response last night on their official blog. Google states:

Recently, though, others have used much higher estimates, claiming that a typical search uses “half the energy as boiling a kettle of water” and produces 7 grams of CO2. We thought it would be helpful to explain why this number is *many* times too high. Google is fast — a typical search returns results in less than 0.2 seconds. Queries vary in degree of difficulty, but for the average query, the servers it touches each work on it for just a few thousandths of a second. Together with other work performed before your search even starts (such as building the search index) this amounts to 0.0003 kWh of energy per search, or 1 kJ. For comparison, the average adult needs about 8000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in ten seconds.

In terms of greenhouse gases, one Google search is equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2. The current EU standard for tailpipe emissions calls for 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, but most cars don’t reach that level yet. Thus, the average car driven for one kilometer (0.6 miles for those of in the U.S.) produces as many greenhouse gases as a thousand Google searches.

The whole debate seems a bit ridiculous to me. The amount of energy that web-based companies such as Google have SAVED by allowing people to obtain information online, telecommute, etc. seems to GREATLY outweigh any environmental issues that may result. Google can and will continue to become more energy efficient. That's enough for me.

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