Tag Archives: environmentally

Top Environmentally Harmful Online Activities: Surprising Insights on AI’s Impact

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Humans inadvertently impact their environment with every muscle movement they make.

As climate change persists, our lifestyles—including diets, transportation, and comfort choices—are facing increasing scrutiny, particularly as the human population continues to grow. Recently, our online behaviors have also come under examination.

The rise of AI has highlighted the substantial energy and water demands of digital technologies.

A 2026 report predicts that global AI usage, especially the data centers that support it, will produce CO2 emissions comparable to that of New York City within a year.

Moreover, estimates suggest that every 5 to 50 queries to ChatGPT requires 0.5 liters of water (about 1/10th of a gallon) to cool its servers.

The British Government Advisor from the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance warns that AI data centers pose a risk to global and national water security.

But how does AI usage contrast with other online activities, such as streaming movies or scrolling through social media?

Global AI usage is estimated to emit CO₂ equivalent to that of New York City within a year – Photo credit: Getty

Comparing one technology to another or one platform to another can be challenging, but some analysts have attempted to do so.

For instance, AI and tech writer Andy Masley calculated that the average ChatGPT query emits 0.28g of CO2. This is roughly equal to streaming video for 35 seconds, uploading nine photos to social media, or using a laptop for one minute.

It’s important to note that assessing the total environmental impact of AI is complicated due to the extensive resources needed for model training, making precise calculations challenging.

A simpler way to gauge the environmental costs of online activities is by examining the amount of data consumed at any given moment.

For example, reading a text post on LinkedIn utilizes less data than watching a video on TikTok. Similarly, a text query to an AI chatbot consumes much less data compared to generating an AI text-to-video request.

Cloud-based gaming is among the biggest online culprits, requiring gaming servers to operate continuously.

However, a 2025 report from the carbon accounting firm Greenly indicates that physical video games are 100 times more carbon-intensive than online streaming, due to the manufacturing of discs and packaging, product distribution, and their eventual disposal in landfills or incinerators.

Cloud-based gaming can be one of the most environmentally harmful activities online, requiring servers to run continuously – Photo credit: Getty

This illustrates a broader truth: our offline activities typically have a significantly greater environmental impact than our online endeavors.

Another analysis from Greenly indicates that an annual subscription to Netflix (based on average viewing time) results in approximately 17 kg of CO2 emissions, roughly equivalent to a 60-mile trip in a gasoline vehicle.

A single flight from London to Berlin generates ten times more emissions per economy passenger. Additionally, consuming just one sirloin steak produces more carbon (20-30 kg depending on size) than a year’s worth of binge-watching Bridgerton.

In summary, if reducing your carbon footprint is a priority, while managing screen time is important, factors such as your purchases, dietary choices, and travel habits have a more significant impact.

This article addresses the question posed by Adeline Cliffe of Lisburn: “What is the worst thing you can do for the planet online?”

If you have any queries, please reach out to us at: questions@sciencefocus.com or send us a message Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (please include your name and location).

Explore our ultimate fun facts and discover more amazing science pages.

Read more:

  • We may be on the brink of an entire internet collapse, and we might only have a few months to stop it.
  • ‘Our products are sometimes used to kill people’: Inside Palantir, the world’s most alarming AI company.
  • How malevolent can AI become? Researchers are uncovering its darker possibilities.


Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The environmentally friendly black wood-scented hair conditioner

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The conditioner for the black hair on the left comes from the wooden powder on the right

Feng Shui King/Stockholm University

This sustainable wood-based hair conditioner may smell pure white and peat-like, but its creators suggest that the tests may work similarly to commercial products. They claim that it could become a future for hair care.

“We use the power of nature.” Ievgen Pylypchuk At Stockholm University in Sweden. “We combine high-level science with old traditions… [to] Get something really cool: simple, convenient, and very effective. ”

Pylypchuk and his colleagues used lignin, a polymer, a central component of wood and bark, as a starting point for bio-based conditioners. When extracted from wood, lignin naturally interacts with water It also functions as a surfactant, but is an important ingredient in surfactants. It also contains natural antioxidants that help preserve the conditioner, providing UV protection, says Pylypchuk. “In this context, lignin functions as a multifunctional platform,” he says. “It protects against UV rays and keeps you moisturized.”

The researchers combined lab-developed ligning gel with coconut oil and water to create the final product. Team Members Mika ShipponenStockholm University also claims it works much the same as commercial conditioners. When used with moist bleached human hair samples and then washed away, combing hair while 13% moisturizing reduces the “drag” and resists, compared to the commercial products tested. has decreased by 20%.

One potential drawback is that the current formula of conditioners is “pain black” and smells like “cooked wood” that resembles peat, Shipponen says. It does not prevent researchers from pondering its commercialization. They say they test hair, towels and pig skin formulas and wash them off without leaving any dirt. Even the smell is very comfortable, says Pylypchuk. “I personally liked it so much, and most of the people in our lab – maybe because they work with Lignin – they liked it.”

Pylypchuk and Sipponen There is a patent We hope that ligningel and conditioners will become consumer products, offering people a more sustainable alternative to current products that rely on ingredients derived from fossil fuels. They say the next step is to see if it causes irritation to the eyes and skin prior to the trials of living hair.

However, American cosmetics researchers Trefor Evans, Previously, he was at the Textile Research Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, where he questioned how well his products would work compared to his commercial rivals. “I've been doing these experiments for 30 years, and traditional conditioner products reduce the power of the comb by 80%, perhaps 90%,” he says. Shipponen believes that variations in hair testing methods and condition during analysis can explain whether his team was reduced by only 20% of commercial conditioners.

The appearance and unusual smell of wood-based conditioners may drive away consumers, Evans says. “Patent literature is absolutely packed with stuff. “And the reason is that you don't just need effectiveness. What you really need is aesthetics for consumers to buy it.” ”

So, will a black, lush, environmentally friendly conditioner be a hit with consumers? “It sounds a bit like a starter,” Evans says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com