For those who missed the recent controversy over the carbon emissions of a Google search, here is a brief recap…
Act I: Breaking news
On January 11, 2009, the Sunday Times of London published a provocative story, in which it claims that “Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate the same amount of carbon dioxide (15 grams) as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea.” The paper attributes this finding to Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University researcher, who will soon release a comprehensive study on the environmental impacts of computing. Needless to say, 7.5 grams of CO2 per search multiplied by the number of searches conducted globally would add up rather quickly!
Act II: Google’s response
Google—perhaps understandably—did not take kindly to the Times’ article. Urs Hölze, Google’s Senior Vice President of Operations, responded on the company’s blog later in the day. Contrary to the initial report, he contends, “One Google search is equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2.” By comparison, he continues, “The average car driven for one kilometer produces as many greenhouse gas emissions as a thousand Google searches.” All that is to say the energy consumed by a single search is relatively minimal.
Act III: The resolution?
Tech News World returned to the original source for clarification. Wissner-Gross, the aforementioned Harvard researcher, discredited the Times’ story, indicating that he had been misquoted. While a Google search does have an environmental impact, he explained, “Our work has nothing to do with Google. Our focus was exclusively on the Web overall, and we found that it takes an average 20 milligrams of CO2 per second to visit a Web site… I have no idea where they got those statistics [involving tea kettles].”
This back-and-forth is thought-provoking for a number of reasons. It raises questions about journalistic integrity, greenwashing, and scientific methodologies, not to mention the amount of carbon that we use daily while computing at work and home. The truth is that in spite of the internet—perhaps even because of it—we are left with many more questions than answers, at least for the time being.
I find myself keep coming back to one question in particular. Suppose that one Google search only emits the equivalent of 0.2 grams of CO2, as the company suggests. Does that figure reflect the energy used only to execute the search command or does it also reflect the energy spent receiving and viewing the results of said search?
Of course, I don’t know the answer, but it seems that Google’s figure accounts only for the search command itself. Suppose that, as Wissner-Gross claims, it takes an average 20 milligrams (0.02 grams) of CO2 per second to visit a Web site. If Google is accounting for both emissions from the search and the results, it would imply that the entire process is completed in 10 seconds on average. (If anyone from Google is reading this, please correct me if I am wrong).
This seems highly unlikely, especially when I am sitting behind the keyboard. So this begs the question: how useful are internet searches without answers? In my opinion, not very. The same is true, I’m afraid, of statistics measuring carbon emissions from internet searches, when the emissions from search results are not reflected.
By no means am I defending the Times, nor am I trying to single out Google. They have already received enough attention for the week. I do, however, think this is a very important issue that deserves our attention. In a sense, that is the silver lining of this whole exchange—more people will take notice of the impacts of their computing habits. It is widely accepted that the environmental impacts of computing are considerable and growing. Estimates for the number of internet searches conducted daily range in the hundreds of millions. A study released in 2008 found that online consumers spend on average 32.7 hours/week using the internet. Wow!
So, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how much carbon is emitted by search engines like Google. What matters, to me at least, is that companies, industries, and society are working to reduce the environmental impacts of computing from the current levels.
Here’s to asking lots more questions, and, hopefully, finding a few answers as well.
