how Many unnecessary emails sent throughout the day? Do you often send messages with a simple “thank you”, a “received” or a “have a nice weekend”? Dispense with this kind of messages, although at first glance it may seem rude, it reduces our ecological footprint. So concludes research done by the energy company Ovo after analyzing the impact of the 64 millions of emails unnecessary sent daily by the citizens of United Kingdom.
The number of emails sent and received per day worldwide has not stopped growing since 2014, according to Statista. If in that year were sent 196.300 million , it is expected that in 2019 the figure to reach the 236.500 billion. Each one of these messages pollute, so think twice before you send them can help to save the planet. “When we send an email, it requires energy to power the data centers and the computers and devices that send, filter, read, and delivered to post office”, explained sources from the company that has developed the study. All of these devices and the Internet require energy and emit carbon dioxide.
users british sent an average of 11,29 unnecessary emails a week, according to a study by Censuswide cited by Ovo. If each one of them dispenses with the day of only one of these messages, it would emit to the atmosphere 16.433 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The researchers say that it would be the equivalent to withdraw from circulation 3.334 gasoline cars, or to delete 81.152 flights between London and Madrid.
If the users of the United Kingdom stopped without sending an e-mail unnecessary to the day would be equivalent to withdraw from circulation 3.334 gasoline cars, or to delete 81.152 flights between London and Madrid
“The survey we conducted was conducted using a nationally representative sample of United Kingdom only, but could generate some indicative figures for Spain and other countries”, explained company sources. The data used for the study have been taken from the book How bad are bananas? The carbon footprint of everything. Its author, Mike Berners-Lee, who is a professor in the environmental center of the University of Lancaster and a brother of the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has been advised to Ovo for the research. To calculate the environmental impact of send a short email with no attachments in Spain, “it would be good to use a gram of carbon dioxide as well as approximate”.
“Thanks,” “have a nice weekend”, “received”, “have you seen this”, “cheers” or “LOL” are among the messages dispensable sent with more frequency. Almost half of britons acknowledge to send unnecessary emails to a colleague or friend within walking distance every day: “we are Not suggesting you avoid all of the emails, only the really unnecessary. For example, if you send a mail of appreciation to someone that is only three meters of you in the office, it is better to stand up and say it to them in person.” Seven out of every ten british wouldn’t mind not receiving an e-mail of appreciation if they know that benefits the environment.
The activity connected with emails all over the world could come to be equivalent to the carbon footprint of producing 890 million cars
This is not the first study that addresses the contamination of the sending of emails. A report 2017 the consultant Two Sides concluded that the activity linked with emails all over the world could come to be equivalent to the carbon footprint of producing 890 million cars. This figure depends on the size of emails sent. Berners-Lee explains in his book that if an email has an attachment of, for example, 1 MB, the carbon dioxide generated amounts to 19 grams and if that attachment is forwarded or archived, the footprint of the electronic mail could reach 50 grams, according to the Independent newspaper.
WhatsApp and Netflix also pollute
Apart from sending emails, other activities digital also pollute. “Everything, even a text message has a carbon footprint!”, underline the researchers. For example, the WhatsApp messages, the use of cloud services like Netflix or the arrival of the Internet of Things contribute to the global emissions of greenhouse gases. Users can take small steps to reduce the impact: “If you turn off your major appliances, such as tv set, when you lie down for the night and you’re sure not to let devices remain connected when they are already fully charged, you can reduce your energy consumption and therefore your carbon footprint.”
The carbon is the result of nearly all actions, including those under the age
The ultimate goal of this study is to highlight “that the carbon is the result of almost all actions that we take, even actions minor as sending an e-mail”: “once people realize that, it opens up a new level of conversation about how to make bigger changes to reduce the carbon footprint.”
The concentration in the atmosphere the major greenhouse gases reached a new record during 2018. The World Meteorological Organization warns that the carbon dioxide concentration is the highest since three million years ago. From the moment in which a citizen traveling in a car, turn on the heating or opt for a packaged food, leaves a carbon footprint on the planet: “If we were all a little more considerate with our actions, by making small changes in our day-to-day, together we could do a great job to help reduce the effects of carbon emissions”.
