According to a recent article in the Times UK, performing a Google search contributes to climate change, but skeptics and Google disagree, arguing that any search-related CO2 production is extremely minimal and negligible considering what a search can accomplish.  In typical British fashion, the article compares the impact of two searches to heating a kettle for a spot o’ tea.  I try to be as carbon conscious as the next person, but I think the Times article has gone a bit too far.

Yes, it’s important to consider the environmental impact of technology, and companies should be encouraged to produce more energy efficient devices, but this type of guilt-driven scare tactic seems excessive and likely to only incur cynical backlash.  The author of the study, Harvard University physicist Alex Wissner-Gross, also feels that the Times exaggerated Google’s impact.  Google’s massive servers certainly have an impact on the environment, but I think there are more significant ways for individuals to combat climate change.

takepart by joining the Climate Savers Smart Computing Initiative and learn how you can reduce your carbon footprint starting right where you are: at your computer.

Related: Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Photo: laughingbird’s Flickr Photostream (Creative Commons)