CO2-gle

by Jimmy Marks

Poor Al Gore. He invented the internet to help him save the environment and now, wouldn't you know, it's part of the problem. A very Frankenstein's monster situation, to say the least.

What does that mean?, you wonder. Well, it turns out that one Google search emits as much CO₂ as a breathing human. Two Google searches emits as much CO₂ as a boiling teapot. One thousand Google searches is the equivalent of a car driving one kilometer (click here for more information). 

Now, there are plenty of people that say this isn't much CO₂, comparatively (click here to read). And Google reps are right when they say that everything expells CO_2. But let's look at a metric that matters, here. 

According to this article (click here), a recent estimate of how many searches are performed every day (bear in mind, these stats are now three years old) shows 91 million searches with Google. Simple math says that's 91,000 kilometers (56, 544 miles) worth of driving every day. And I'm sure those numbers have swollen in the past three years. 

Now, Google has taken great pains to make their operation "green" (see their investments here). They're doing a lot to offset their CO₂ emissions. Which means that, if there's any energy being wasted, it's most likely on our end. Still, it's interesting to think that Google is "breathing", just like the rest of us. It's alive! ALIIIVE!