What is web hosting?
Okay, imagine you’re a kangaroo, and you want to share pictures of your cute little joey with the world. But where do you keep those pictures? That’s where web hosting comes in.
Think of it like a little burrow in the ground where you can store all your website’s data, like those precious joey pics. And just like how a kangaroo needs to use its legs to hop around, a web hosting server needs the power to share that data with the world and keep things running smoothly.
3 ‘Dirty’ Elements of web hosting:
Water
Datacentres need cooling 24/7, using billions of litres of water, a dirty industry secret.
Electricity usage
Australia’s coal power use leads to a larger carbon footprint than New Zealand’s 81% renewable energy use in 2021.
E-waste
Tech waste is problematic at various levels: datacentres, the tech industry, and individuals dumping devices.
Datacentres generate heat and CO2, contributing to climate change. While there are some low-carbon sources of power, around 80% of global power comes from fossil fuels.
How much power do we need to use for the internet?
Internet power needed per year:
Total global energy usage:
Estimated energy usage by 2025:
What does that mean when we look at how much CO2 the internet actually creates?
When it comes to the output each year from that energy use, around 300 million tonnes of CO2 are generated from internet usage worldwide.
The average website can produce 211kg of CO2 each year! According to the EPA that equates to more than 26,000 smartphones being charged.
Every email you send can add to your footprint and having old emails sitting in your inbox also contributes to this. It’s like having a heap of old letters in your house, the more you have the more space you need – and space on the internet costs energy.
To boil that down even further, around 2% – 3% of global carbon emissions come from the internet.
Stunned by the staggering impact of your website's carbon footprint?
Don't worry, we've got you covered! We offer a greener alternative that lets you enjoy the internet you love, while reducing your environmental impact.
