What Is a Digital Carbon Footprint — And How Can You Reduce Yours?

Every time you stream a movie on Netflix, send an email, store photos in the cloud, post on Facebook or attend a Zoom meeting, you’re contributing to your digital carbon footprint.

The phrase “digital carbon footprint” refers to the total carbon emissions generated by online activities. According to Myclimate, a Swiss organization that works to protect the global climate, studies estimate digital activity produces 1.5% to 4% of global emissions. By comparison, the aviation industry accounts for 2% of global emissions, the International Energy Agency says.

So, how does watching a Netflix movie or participating in a Zoom meeting contribute to global emissions? The answer is simple: Digital activity shares some of the blame for global emissions because it takes energy, often in the form of carbon-intensive fossil fuels, to make and use digital devices.

What’s the biggest culprit in the creation of digital carbon emissions? Video streaming. Why? Because, as Myclimate explains, video streaming gobbles a significant amount of data.

How do data centers contribute to your digital carbon footprint?

Digital innovations are further adding to digital carbon emissions. A prime example: generative artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI creates original content such as text, images, video, audio or software code in response to a user’s prompt or request, IBM says.

While generative AI is useful, it also can be harmful.

MIT explains that the computing power required to teach generative AI models “can demand a staggering amount of electricity, which leads to increased carbon dioxide emissions and pressures on the electric grid.”

Power-hungry data centers are part of this equation. Why? Because digital information supplied by data centers helps train and run learning models that are behind generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Data centers house computer servers, data storage systems, networking equipment and power and cooling systems.

Estimates vary, but the Data Center Map website counted nearly 4,300 data centers in the U.S. as of December 2025. U.S. data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours of electricity, according to an estimate from the International Energy Agency. That would be enough electricity to power nearly 165 million homes in the U.S., which has close to 148 million housing units like single-family homes and apartments.

How technology might decrease digital carbon emissions

Now that you know technology can lead to more carbon emissions, it’s time for a bit of good news: Technology may be able to decrease digital emissions.

Although that might sound counterintuitive, it does make sense.

According to the World Economic Forum, digital technology could cut emissions by 20% by 2050 in the three sectors that consume the most energy: energy, materials and mobility. How is that possible? Advanced technology holds the potential to:

• Improve oil refineries and pipelines.
• Boost energy efficiency in buildings.
• Rely more heavily on sustainable fuels in the aviation and shipping sectors.
• Turn on and turn off indoor lights based on the presence or absence of people.

14 tips for reducing your digital carbon footprint

You can take various steps at home and elsewhere to lower your digital carbon footprint. Here are 14 tips courtesy of the David Suzuki Foundation, Myclimate, UNICEF and the World Economic Forum:

1. Repair devices instead of replacing them.
2. Don’t leave devices plugged in once they’re fully charged. Instead, charge for short, regular intervals to improve battery life.
3. Unplug chargers when they’re not being used.
4. Shut off devices when you’re not using them.
5. Reduce the number of notifications you receive on digital devices.
6. Regularly delete old emails from your inbox.
7. Unsubscribe from digital newsletters that you’re not reading.
8. Don’t store data that you know you won’t use.
9. Use video capabilities during a remote meeting only when needed.
10. Choose lower resolution settings for streaming video.
11. Download content instead of streaming it numerous times. Video streaming accounts for three-fourths of global data traffic.
12. Turn off auto-play on YouTube and other video streaming services.
13. Regularly schedule digital downtime throughout your day, such as at dinnertime or before bedtime.
14. Limit the use of AI.