Google Your Carbon Footprint

[StuartDH]

Every time you search on google your carbon footprint goes up...but research published in the times this morning, shows that it goes a lot more than most people think

Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches - Times Online

[goosey]

That is staggering! I dread to think of how many times a day I use Google, just going through my own Recent History, produces pages of evidence of my searches. It is so easy and not having to move away from the computer to the other end of the room for a book to check a Latin name or looking for an ID.
I really never even considered the energy used in searches - I just thought using the computer was a certain amount and it didn't alter. So much for thinking I was very aware of my own environmental impact .

[paul m]

And it's even worse if you drink coffee while googling!
I suppose this applies to all the major search engines? Personally I use BBC or Wikipedia where possible - hopefully they're not so energy-consuming. The other thing, as the article says, is to avoid useless energy-consuming visual and sound applications. I wonder how much energy is wasted just so that we can be frustrated with slow, unnecessary flash set-ups and videos?