When we think about sustainability issues, we usually think of pollution by industries, local level climate contamination and plastic pollution, among other things. However, you may be taken aback if you learn that the very activity of you reading this post or reacting to it contributes to pollution. Though we do not intend to repel you from this article, we do anticipate increasing your awareness about how your social media activity contributes to internet-led pollution.

According to research by a Paris-based climate think tank, The Shift Project, our gadgets have a massive carbon footprint, accounting for 3.7% of the total greenhouse gas emissions globally. That figure is far larger than the carbon footprint of the aviation sector, that produces unimaginable volumes of toxic gases every day. And the social media carbon footprint is set to increase with the rise in use of different social media apps and interaction with different kinds of content.

In 2009, Google had reported that one google search resulted in emission of 0.2g of carbon dioxide, while loading of one website led to 1.76g of carbon dioxide emission. At times, this emission figure due to loading of website can go up to 10g depending on the complexity of the website. Contrast that with 1g of carbon dioxide emitted as result of production of one paperback. Does it not show that physical versions of information are still better than their digital versions?

The carbon footprint of an email varies between 0.3g of carbon dioxide for spam email to 4g for regular emails, while emails with attachments lead to 50g of emissions. Instagram is no less, as posting a photograph result in emissions of 0.15g of carbon dioxide, while scrolling on Instagram feed for a minute emits 1.5g of carbon dioxide. Streaming one hour of video on YouTube or Netflix adds 36g of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The reason behind these data points is quite simple – every activity on social media and the resultant updates in the database need electricity and electricity comes at a cost to climate. Data centres around the world consume almost 0.8% of electricity demand, which basically translates to massive emissions globally.

Therefore, the next time you vouch for digital media over physical media, or spend long hours scrolling, liking, reacting, or commenting on social media platforms, do remember the emissions that bear your name and the severe impact it has on climate.