What a load of carbon-neutral crap
I do not profess to be the greenest person in the world, nor do I declare we should cut down all the trees in the world just to make things tidier (but that’s the germ of a great idea!). This article, however, floored me with both its simplistic approach and simplistic blame targeting…
HIDDEN HARM OF GOOGLE SEARCHES
“Performing two Google searches can generate a similar amount of carbon dioxide to boiling the kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.While millions of people tap into Google without a thought for the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of carbon dioxide. Boiling a kettle generates about 15g.
Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon, said: "Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power. A Google search has a definite environmental impact.” Article here.
HUH?!
Like any data centre. Like any large multi-national corporate across the globe (Murdoch’s News empire, for example, where this article was sourced). Like spending the time to read this blog.
Google have one of the largest and most complex data meta-centres in the world. This is evidenced by the fact they provide gajillions of searches a day. They need to keep up. By their own admission Google are working harder to ‘green’ up their data centres because, let’s face it, computers can be a little on the power-wastey side. Leave your PC on at home 24/7 for a quarter and see what it does to your power bill.
The article continues:
“However, its search engine generates high levels of CO2 because of the way it operates. When you type in a Google search for, say, "energy saving tips", your request doesn't go to just one server. It goes to several competing against each other. It may even be sent to servers thousands of kilometres apart.”
I’m just flat out amazed at this pinko rubbish. Google have worked hard to provide a robust global search service (among its many other offerings) and doing their best with the technology available to do so promptly yet meet demand. Then, we have some high and mighty researching dude come along and say that your Google searches will destroy the world. So not only is it Google’s fault, but your fault as well. Shame on you, looking up the latest gossip about Paris or googling yourself or checking your e-mail or whatever. Because of you my children won’t be able to go and play in the park because the naughty CO2 emissions will have dried the park up and Mr Ugly Corporate Greed man will have come along and turned the defunct park into a factory for guns. Bad you. Stop your googling now.
If searching something on Google will cause such an environmental catastrophe as is suggested, then we better all do our own research on this issue by googling it, and let slip the dogs of war...
Comments
1. Brett said...
I'm with you - it's a new item more about getting attention than reporting the facts
By God did this news item get around quickly and picked up even quicker.
Good on Google for defending their position in a simple direct manner
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/powering-google-search.html
Next they'll be trying to tell us blogging is bad for the soul or the economy or pixies
3. Dave Muller said...
Gah so rubbish! News.com.au loses more and more credibilty each day. I've been meaning to blog about the nasty science of man-made global warming for a while, but I never seem to get the time.
2. themolk said...
It's always bad for the pixies...
1/16/2009 5:12:30 AM