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Impacts of the Internet on the Environment, Beyond Carbon
draft-knodel-beyond-carbon-00

The information below is for an old version of the document.
Document Type
This is an older version of an Internet-Draft whose latest revision state is "Active".
Expired & archived
Author Mallory Knodel
Last updated 2025-01-25 (Latest revision 2024-07-24)
RFC stream (None)
Formats
Stream Stream state (No stream defined)
Consensus boilerplate Unknown
RFC Editor Note (None)
IESG IESG state Expired
Telechat date (None)
Responsible AD (None)
Send notices to (None)

This Internet-Draft is no longer active. A copy of the expired Internet-Draft is available in these formats:

Abstract

The global internet is comprised of vast interconnected networks spanning nearly every surface of planet and sky that, together with user devices, consumes energy and emits greenhouse gases. The true scale and proposed mitigations of the carbon footprint of the internet are the subject of important research. The internet also requires the depletion of other natural resources beyond carbon, namely land, water, electromagnetic spectrum and minerals. Electronic waste contributes in particularly acute ways to environmental pollution. This document surveys the impacts of the internet on the environment and includes, but goes beyond, energy use and carbon footprint to look at the consumption of natural resources and environmental waste.

Authors

Mallory Knodel

(Note: The e-mail addresses provided for the authors of this Internet-Draft may no longer be valid.)