There is a hidden environmental impact of the digital technology we use every day. Every email we send uses approximately 4g CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). Put simply, sending 65 text-only emails releases CO2 equivalent to driving an average car for 1 kilometre. Add a big photo and it’s 50g! It comes from the electricity used by your computer, the internet, and the big data centers that send and store it.
A short conversation with an AI chatbot uses about 500ml of water, the volume of an average water bottle. Zoom meetings, website browsing, and cloud storage consume energy and water at an alarming rate. Worldwide, it’s creating a massive amount of greenhouse gases!
We can reduce our digital carbon footprint by deleting unwanted emails and photos. We can use a standard Google search rather than an AI query whichuses 10 times more electricity. These tiny acts of justice help create a just future for all.
Sources: Green Citizen: Carbon Footprint & St. James Picadilly Church, 197 Piccadilly, London WIJ 9LL
Illustration created with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI), October 2026.