The Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier Runacher’s new portfolio does not include solar panels and wind turbines. She claimed to be an “ecology for solutions” and said this week she was ready to help the French with their “small everyday gestures”.
Sometimes we don’t have the right reflexes. We will switch off the light, thinking we have saved lots of energy. Then we will send a funny email to our friends with an attachment. And we’ll have used a lot more energy.
I stand for the ecology that solves problems, not the ecology that creates illusions. Our century is a challenge in energy and ecological transition. It is my mission to translate it into concrete actions. @BFMTV @RMCInfo @AmandineAtalaya pic.twitter.com/VxP3NbHo1K
What does the digital footprint of the French really mean? What are the key levers that can be used to reduce the environmental impact?
The vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) accounted for around 8% in 2018. The civil air transport was at 2%. These two categories are frequently mentioned, but Digital, its equipment, and its uses, accounted for around 4% of global greenhouse gasses in 2020. According to The Shift Project, a group that advocates “for an economy without carbon constraint”, it could grow strongly to 8% by 2025.
The iNum study from January 2021 estimated that the average French individual consumes Digital at 6 km per day. It also estimates that a 1000 watt radiator is used for 8 hours, and 9 liters of water. water (three packs with mineral water). The daily extraction of 197 kilos earth is not forgotten…
Ademe published a report titled “The hidden face of Digital” in 2019. It found that the devices (smartTVs, smartphones, tablets, computers, connected watches, etc.) are responsible for half the GHGs associated with Digital. This is due to the energy required to manufacture them and extract the rare minerals necessary to their design. The average French phone is changed every year and a quarter.
Telecommunications and their infrastructures (telephone lines and mobile networks, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi), account for a quarter of all GHGs. Data centers, also known as the “cloud”, are responsible for a quarter of all GHGs. They can be accessed online through data storage.
A French person receives 936 newsletters each year. These newsletters, whether they are opened or not, eventually weigh 9 kg of CO2. A data center that stores an email for one year emits 10g CO2. This is the same as putting a plastic bag in your hand or turning on a lightbulb for an hour. The same price to open a tab in an internet browser.
Even if it is insignificant, the slightest online usage is not neutral. It is different from a flickering light and an adjustment to the monthly electricity bill.
A 10-minute online video can be viewed on a smartphone in the same way as a 2000W electric oven for five minutes at full power. Online video accounts for over 60% of internet traffic, and consumes 80% of energy used by data centers and networks.
TheShiftProject summarizes its recommendations in just three points. They recommend that terminal purchases be limited, online storage should be avoided and that energy-intensive uses are reduced.
This email and its “funny attachment” are just two examples of small digital gestures that anyone can use to reassess the potential for an unassisted but very real environmental impact.
