Genealogists are very fond of Googling. However, we must be careful, for it seems that although Google’s founders are very environmentally aware guys, the service that they offer does require energy – and that produces carbon emissions, and…, oh well…
According to research done by Google, it seems that “a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in 10 seconds.”
Get out your checkbooks, folks. Any time now we may be asked to buy “carbon credits” for our Google habits.
Following is an excerpt from an article on the subject from the January 28, 2009 edition of the Globe and Mail.
In addition to the work performed before the search request, Mr. Hölzle produced an estimate of 0.0003 kilowatt hours of energy for each search, equivalent to about one kilojoule.
“For comparison, the average adult needs about 8,000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in 10 seconds,” Mr. Hölzle wrote.
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The company also provided an estimate of how much carbon dioxide a single search is equivalent to: 200 milligrams. Using tailpipe emission standards, Mr. Hölzle estimated that an average car driven one kilometre generates as many greenhouse gasses as 1,000 Google searches.