KQED Forum today about our digital carbon footprint

My friend and colleague Danny Cullenward and I were on KQED Forum this morning, talking about the environmental impacts of our digital lives. Lesley McClurg was the host.

You shouldn’t worry at all about your digital footprint, as we discussed in the show. It’s small and constantly improving, and much of the equipment uses the same amount of electricity when it’s idle as when it’s fully loaded, so your actions won’t change electricity use or emissions.

If you want to take personal action on climate, you should

* Vote against climate deniers and fossil fuel apologists.
* Replace fossil fuel equipment at end of life with electrified equipment. That’s when it’s most cost effective. Buy heat pumps instead of furnaces, heat pump water heaters instead of normal water heaters, induction cooktops instead of gas cooktops, heat pump dryers instead of gas dryers, and electric vehicles instead of gasoline or diesel vehicles (if not ready for full electric, buy a plug in hybrid).
* Fly less.
* Drive less.
* Eat less red meat.
* Vote against climate deniers and fossil fuel apologists again!

Much of what needs to happen is to change our SYSTEMS, which is not under the control of most individuals, but the actions above are both under individual control and highly impactful. For more ideas, see our 2022 book:

Koomey, Jonathan, and Ian Monroe. 2022. Solving climate change: A guide for learners and leaders. Bristol, UK: IOP Publishing. [http://www.solveclimate.org]