One More Reason to Hate Spam

As if we didn’t have enough already. We’re talking about the Internet kind, of course, not the canned variety.

Drawing on a study from protective software maker McAfee, ABC News has posted an interesting take on Internet junk mail and the carbon emissions associated with it. The upshot is that the energy used in spewing out 62 trillion (yes, with a “t”) individual pieces of spam last year could power all Bay Area homes or some entire states.

But beyond just another villification of uninvited come-ons for “male enhancement” or Nigerian money schemes, it sort of drives home the point that everything seems to have some kind of carbon footprint–even activities that take place entirely in the “digishpere.”

Here’s another take on the report from The Tech Herald.

One More Reason to Hate Spam 16 April,2009Craig Miller

Author

Craig Miller

Craig is a former KQED Science editor, specializing in weather, climate, water & energy issues, with a little seismology thrown in just to shake things up. Prior to that, he launched and led the station's award-winning multimedia project, Climate Watch. Craig is also an accomplished writer/producer of television documentaries, with a focus on natural resource issues.

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