Koomey and Masanet published a peer-reviewed commentary in the journal Joule, discussing the pitfalls that plague estimates of the internet’s energy and carbon impacts.

The paper describes how these errors can lead well-intentioned studies to predict massive energy growth in the information technology sector, which often doesn’t materialize. “We’re not saying the energy use of the internet isn’t a problem, or that we shouldn’t worry about it,” Masanet explained. “Rather, our main message is that we all need to get better at analysing internet energy use and avoiding these pitfalls moving forward.”