TechTalk: Exploring the Latest Technology News, Updates, Reviews, and Gossip

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate the same amount of harmful carbon dioxide as boiling an electric kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research quoted Sunday. A typical search generates about seven grammes of CO2 whereas an electric kettle generates about 15 gm, The Sunday Times quoted a Harvard University physicist as saying. "A Google search has a definite environmental impact," says Alex Wissner-Gross, whose research is due out soon. The newspaper said Google is "secretive" about its energy consumption and carbon footprint, and refuses to divulge the locations of its data centres. "However, with 200 million internet searches estimated globally daily, the electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused by computers and the internet is provoking concern," the newspaper said. A recent report by information technology analysts Gartner said the global IT industry generates as much greenhouse gas - which con...