EON

Toronto – In these days of environmental awareness, going green might have a new meaning. Beyond electronic cars and solar panels, the next best way to save the planet may be controlling email.

According to a new study just released by McAfee, Inc., the overabundance of spam emails is more than just annoying; it actually has detrimental consequences for the environment as well. Time on the internet uses a certain amount of energy. The bulk volume of spam takes up a significant portion of unnecessary energy, especially considering how few of those emails are actually desired by the recipients.

Even more than that, the energy required to for users to sort through spam emails is massive environmental toll, adding to the overall green cost of spam email. The study suggests that the energy used in this process over the course of one year equals the energy usage of 2.4 million homes. On top of that, spam also increases CO2 emissions.

Despite these somewhat sobering numbers, some critics to the study have voice their suspicions about the findings. Much of the study’s estimation of energy usage comes from the notion that many users have to sort through spam email, which means that they have prolonged internet sessions, which means more energy is being used. While the study might be suggesting that less spam would mean that users would be on their email less, thus using their computers less and reducing the impact of spam’s carbon imprint, the truth is not so certain. PC users might just spend more time surfing, or leaving their computer idle, which would not diminish the impact quite as dramatically.

Regardless, the study does offer users a few useful suggestions not only to reduce the environmental impact but also to lessen the time constraints of spam on Americans’ personal lives. Simple steps, like being aware of entering an email address and being sure to unclick automatic subscriptions when signing up for things online, can keep spam to a minimum. Doing so will not only simplify each person’s life, but has the potential to ease the environmental burden as well.