A guide to your digital carbon footprint – and how to lower it

The guide examines how the growth of digital presence—accelerated by remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic—contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and electronic waste. It highlights the energy intensity of data centers and the environmental cost of device manufacturing and disposal, while providing actionable steps for users to lower their impact through better device maintenance, energy-saving habits, and mindful data management.

• Digital activities, including devices and the supporting internet infrastructure, account for 3.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that is projected to double by 2025.
• Data centers and transmission networks consume 2% of global electricity, a level comparable to the aviation industry. By 2040, digital data storage is expected to generate 14% of global emissions, roughly equivalent to the current total emissions of the United States.
• The electronics industry generates 50 million tons of e-waste annually, but only 12.5% of this waste is recycled according to the EPA.
• Video streaming accounts for 60% of internet traffic and generates approximately 300 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, representing about 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The shift to remote work during the first few months of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders (January-March 2020) increased internet use by 40%, requiring an additional 42.6 million megawatt-hours of electricity.

APA

Harris, L. (2021). A guide to your digital carbon footprint – and how to lower it. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/digital-carbon-footprint-how-to-lower-electronics/

Chicago

Harris, Linnea. A guide to your digital carbon footprint – and how to lower it. World Economic Forum, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/digital-carbon-footprint-how-to-lower-electronics/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Harris |first1=Linnea |title=A guide to your digital carbon footprint – and how to lower it |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=9 December 2021 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/digital-carbon-footprint-how-to-lower-electronics/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{harris2021guide, author = {Harris, Linnea}, title = {{A guide to your digital carbon footprint – and how to lower it}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/digital-carbon-footprint-how-to-lower-electronics/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }