Five surprising sustainability facts

“Go Green!” is the focus of this MAFO because it remains a hot topic, although sustainability is rarely discussed these days amid the ups and downs of world events. And even if you think everything has already been said on this matter – the following five facts about sustainability will certainly surprise you!

1. AI and energy – better history than philosophy

Did you know that a single ChatGPT query consumes as much energy as charging a smartphone for an hour? Or that a ChatGPT query consumes ten times as much energy as a Google query?

Admittedly, this is still very general. The fact is, however, that AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and others run on powerful graphics processors that consume a lot of electricity. According to researchers from the Munich University of Applied Sciences,  Generative AI models, including large language models (LLMs), consume an estimated 29.3 terawatt hours per year – equivalent to Ireland’s total energy consumption.

However, the exact amount of electricity consumed also depends heavily on the type of AI. The researchers discovered a clear trade-off between accuracy and sustainability. This means that models that consumed less energy were more often incorrect.

The type of questions also influences energy consumption. Questions linked to longer “thinking processes,” such as abstract algebra or philosophy, caused up to six times more CO₂ emissions than clear, fact-based questions such as historical data.

2. Data center emissions will probably exceed international flight emissions

Did you know that internet and computer use could cause more greenhouse gas emissions in the future than all international air traffic combined?

According to various studies, the energy consumption of data centers for AI applications and other digitization projects will increase dramatically by 2030. According to McKinsey, electricity consumption in Europe will almost triple to more than 150 terawatt hours by 2030. That accounts for around five percent of total European electricity consumption. So far, it has only been two percent. For example, a video call requires around five times more mobile data volume than a simple voice call and also video streaming and AI applications have a huge impact. CO₂ emissions are correspondingly higher.

3. Wi-Fi is more environmentally friendly than LTE 

Did you know that the type of data connection has an impact on CO₂ emissions?

According to the German Federal Environment Agency, streaming videos on a fiber optic network for one hour consumes an average of only two grams of CO₂. With a copper cable (VDSL), it is already four grams.

Mobile surfing is much more harmful to the climate: one hour of video streaming via a 4G LTE connection causes an average of 13 grams of CO₂. So, if you can, you should use Wi-Fi instead of streaming videos on your mobile device.

4. Microplastics hinders photosynthesis in plants

Did you know that microplastics significantly interferes with photosynthesis in plants?

Researchers led by Ruijie Zhu’s team at Nanjing University evaluated 157 different studies. They revealed that land plants, as well as algae in fresh and salt water, have between 11 and 13 percent less light-collecting chlorophyll in the photosystem of their cells when exposed to microplastics. As a result, plants and algae gain between seven and twelve percent less biomass through photosynthesis and grow correspondingly slower. This has consequences for the light converters themselves, but also for the organisms that depend on plant food. Our staple foods are also affected: cereals such as rice, wheat, and corn develop less chlorophyll in their leaves due to microplasti and.pollution and therefore grow less well. Researchers estimate a harvest loss of between four and 14 percent of the current global harvest.

5. CO₂ binding thanks to whales

Did you know that one large whale binds more CO₂ than a thousand trees?

This is because whales consume plankton, which in turn stores carbon. Each large whale binds an average of 33 tons of CO₂ over the course of its life, removing this carbon from the atmosphere for centuries. Because when whales die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean.

A tree, on the other hand, absorbs only up to 21 kg of CO₂ per year. When the tree dies or parts of it rot, the CO₂ is released back into the atmosphere. Protecting whales could therefore make a significant contribution to species conservation and CO₂ sequestration.