Is googling destroying the planet?
Posted by bmackay on January 12, 2009
London’s Sunday Times reports that, according to a Harvard study, each Google search generates 7g of CO2. Two google searches, for example searching for “vortex shedding” or “Faulkner on the past” uses 14g of CO2, the same amount of energy required to boil a tea-kettle.
Now I was quite shocked by this number and no technical information was provided in the report. Google disputes the numbers provided by the Harvard study, saying that searches use the equivalent of much less energy (0.2 grams of CO2.)
Whatever the right number, it does bring into focus the giga-watts of power required to run massive data centres. That said, I’m sure Google is doing what it can to make all that infrastructure as energy efficient as possible.
Just to be on the safe side, remember to hold your breath with each search. 
Vortex shedding behind a circular cylinder. Courtesy, Cesareo de La Rosa Siqueira. via Google