India Emits the Least Carbon from Daily Email Usage at 2,711 Tons: Study Finds

India Emits the Least Carbon from Daily Email Usage at 2,711 Tons: Study Finds(Representative Image)

Dil Bar Irshad | July 17, 2024 | 10:56 PM IST | Climate & Environment, Featured by VoM, India, World | Follow on Google News

India Emits the Least Carbon from Daily Email Usage at 2,711 Tons: Study Finds

India Emits the Least Carbon from Daily Email Usage at 2,711 Tons: Study Finds

• A new study found that sending and receiving emails emits about 1344.3 tons of carbon globally on a daily basis.
• An Indian email user emits the least amount of carbon to the environment at only 2.07 grams daily.
• The US emits 3,207 tons of CO2 by sending out 9.7 billion emails daily. 
• An average Irish email user emits 532.41 grams of carbon, the highest amount globally.

Zero Bounce conducted research to identify the countries sending out the most emails daily, resulting in the most amount of CO2 emissions. The study used the most recent reports of population numbers from the World Population Review. The information about the percentage of email users was retrieved from the reports by Statista. The reports about the number of emails sent out per country were taken from the Talos Intelligence website. It is globally recognized that on average one email transaction emits 0.3 grams of CO2. The carbon footprint was calculated according to the number of emails sent out per user. For clearer results, the grams were translated into tons. Per capita carbon footprint is indicated in grams. 

The United States tops the ranking, with the most amount of daily carbon emissions because of email use. 89.45% of the US population uses emails, emitting on average 3,207 tons of CO2 daily. Each user, on average, sends or receives 31.72 emails per day, contributing 9.52 grams to the daily carbon footprint per capita. The United States’ email activity accounts for 6.82% of the overall world email traffic, the second largest in the list.

Germany ranks second with the total amount of carbon emissions due to email transactions. Germans use email, equating to 69 million out of 83.2 million users. Germans send 8.5 billion emails daily, generating a daily carbon footprint of 2,550,000 kilograms or 2,810 tons. Each user, on average, sends or receives 123.01 emails per day, resulting in a per capita carbon footprint of 36.90 grams. Germany contributes 1.54% to the overall world email traffic.

Ireland ranks third, with the highest amount of carbon emitted daily at roughly 532 grams per user. 93% of the Irish population uses email, which translates to 4.7 million individuals out of 5 million. The country sends 8.4 billion emails daily, leading to a significant daily carbon footprint of 2777 tons.  Ireland’s email activity represents 0.11% of the world’s email traffic.

The Netherlands takes the fourth position. Reports show that 8.35 billion emails are being sent out from the country daily, resulting in 2,761 tons of CO2 emissions.  Each user contributes 157.51 grams to the carbon footprint, and the Netherlands accounts for 0.35% of the world’s email traffic.

The United Kingdom holds the fifth position in the ranking. 85% of the UK’s population, or 57.7 million people use email out of a total population of 67.9 million. The country sends 8.32 billion emails daily, with an average of 144.03 emails per user. This results in a daily carbon footprint of 2,751.32 tons and a per-user footprint of 43.21 grams. The UK’s email activity represents 1.29% of the global email traffic.

France comes sixth, with an email user rate of 94%, translating to 60.9 million users out of a population of 64.8 million. The French send 8.31 billion emails daily, leading to an average of 136.25 emails per person and a daily carbon footprint of 2,748.02 tons. Each users’ contribution to the carbon footprint is 40.88 grams, with France accounting for 1.36% of the world’s email traffic.

Following France, Austria ranks seventh. 80% of the French population uses email, who send 8.27 billion emails daily, with an average of 1,151 emails per-user. This results in a daily carbon footprint of 2,734 tons and a per capita footprint of 345.46 grams, second largest amount in the list. 

Japan takes the eighth position with a 75% email user rate who sends 8.25 billion emails daily. This generates a daily carbon footprint of 2,728 tons. Each user, on average, sends or receives 89.70 emails per day, resulting in a per capita carbon footprint of 26.91 grams. Japan contributes 2.05% to the overall world email traffic.

India, despite having the largest population in this analysis, ranks ninth in terms of per capita carbon emissions from email usage. With 82.40% of its 1.4 billion population using email, India sends 8.2 billion emails daily, resulting in a total carbon footprint of 2,711.64 tons. An average Indian email user sends or receives 6.90 emails per day, contributing only 2.07 grams to their daily carbon footprint. However, India’s email activity represents a significant 26.51% of global email traffic.

Belgium rounds up the ranking, sending out 8.1 billion emails daily, with each user averaging 801.97 emails per day. This results in a daily carbon footprint of 2,678.57 tons and a per capita footprint of 240.59 grams. Belgium’s email activity represents 0.23% of the world’s email traffic.

A spokesperson from Zero Bounce commented on the study: “There is a substantial carbon emission from email usage, that emphasizes the need for greater awareness and strategies to reduce the digital carbon footprint. Understanding the environmental impact of our digital communication practices is crucial for developing sustainable solutions and mitigating climate change.”

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.