About 2.4 million emails are sent in a second. Surprising yet true.
A study by ICF International and McAfee reveals that storing 1GB of e-mail consumes 32.1 kWh per year.
Let’s see how this works.
All the emails you send have to be stored in a server. A server has huge amounts of data stored in it, like a computer. But it consumes a lot more electricity than a home computer does. Since it takes so much electricity, the server heats up while it is working. And servers cannot be shut down as there is always a demand for access to it from various nodes. This results in the installation of air coolers and air conditioners in the rooms or spaces where these servers are kept. Large vent systems also consume a lot of energy. And eventually, emit carbon that destroys the composition of the air that we take in.
So how do we individually conserve energy?
Take your time and delete unwanted emails from your inbox.
Unsubscribe to newsletters that you don’t read.
Empty your trash. Opt-out of Social media notifications.
What the government can do?
The government of a country can easily change its laws to conserve its own natural resources and the environment. Regulations in the storage of old emails by the service rendering companies and the citizens will make a major impact on this planet by reducing carbon emissions on a large scale. A simple fact:
Storing 1GB of email consumes about 32 kWh per year. If every single person in France deleted just 50 emails, the energy savings would be equivalent to turning the Eiffel tower’s lights off for 42 years, or to New York City not consuming any electricity for 4 hours.
Now, do you think the change in IT laws of your country can bring change to the air you breathe?
This Article is authored by Ritula Nizam, 4th year Student of BBA LLB at VIT Chennai.
