The internet produces vast amounts of greenhouse gases

The internet produces huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, it has been recently discovered.

Not only is this damaging for the environment, it is detrimental to the future of the internet.

Researchers from the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and Bell Labs have found that the internet industry produces more than 830 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.

Although this isn't a huge amount when looking at the total number of emissions, in fact it is only about two per cent of global emissions, it is still far too much, and far too great a contributor to the global problem.

Indeed, it is equivalent to the emissions produced by the aviation industry.

This figure is only set to double; it has been predicted, with experts believing that the output will be over 160 million by 2020.

To compensate for this, certain researchers have worked at ways to ration the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through internet use.

CEET and Bell Labs have been creating models which estimate energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission, and ways to resolve the issue.

The team have tested their models several times, on both a simulated network and on a deployed network

According to the teams, more efficient power usage of facilities, more efficient use of energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy resources are the keys to reducing ICT greenhouse gas emissions.

These experts also claim that, should this be left until 2020, the problem will be a lot more difficult to resolve.

Indeed, with twice as much gas being emitted, it could be twice as difficult to learn how to control it, so action must be taken now.