Summary
Websites for the United Nations' Conference of the Parties (COP) emit much more carbon than the average website, with emissions rising significantly since 1995. Researchers found some COP pages emit up to 10 times the average carbon emission per page view. This increase in emissions is linked to the pages using more data-heavy content, such as multimedia files.
Key Facts
- COP websites emit up to 10 times more carbon per view than average websites.
- COP30 is scheduled for November 10-21 in Belém, Brazil, excluding participation from the U.S.
- Research showed that COP conference website emissions increased over 13,000% between 1995 and 2024.
- A recent COP website's emissions were measured at seven times the global average.
- The rise in emissions is tied to the increasing use of multimedia and scripts on these sites.
- Globally, the average carbon emission per page view is about 0.36 grams of CO₂e.
- The internet, with 5.5 billion users, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Recommendations for reducing website emissions include hosting on renewable energy and optimizing media.
