The European Commission is seeking a standardized way to measure...
The European Commission is seeking a standardized way to measure the carbon footprint of the production, transport and sale of information and communication technology networks, goods and services, it said Monday. Measuring how much CO² is used will ultimately help…
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reduce emissions, it said. Estimates show that every minute, 48 hours of new video content is uploaded to YouTube, 700,000 Facebook users share content and Google receives more than two million search queries, it said. Given that a single search query may produce anything from a few tenths of a gram to a few grams of CO² emissions depending on the kind of energy used to power the services, the emissions can be substantial, it said. Calculations of those emissions vary widely and are highly dependent on the different mechanisms used, but a study published Monday said 10 tools and standards pilot-tested by key tech companies and associations are comparable, it said. The next step is to get the ICT and relevant industries to put the methods into everyday use, something the EC will consult on in coming months. ICT products and services are now responsible for 8-10 percent of EU energy consumption and up to 4 percent of its carbon emissions, the EC said.