You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$6 Answers
The footprint of actual news print can be found; however, web based would be very difficult. Part of this is because it would depend greatly on the scale and target devices. As the target devices become smaller and more energy efficient and you use better/cheaper servers for mass distribution you shrink your footprint.
Let's use a VERY small example.
Let's say your using 1 computer to serve 100 people a news blog. You have to calculate the cost of the server, the network equipment between you and them, and the end user device for all 100 people. The end user device is where you can really run into problems. The carbon footprint of an iphone is VASTLY smaller than say somebody using a gaming PC to read web pages.(Think 1200watt power supply 3 SLI graphic boards several harddrives in a raid 0 config for speed...)
But don't think that newspaper has got it easy. Printing the paper "CAN" have a very low carbon footprint. Use of recycle paper, environmentally friendly inks, farmed forests, and highly tuned print equipment can make this reasonably low. BUT, you have to ship those papers out to everyone. Your going to lose some on that.(Keep in mind that most national papers tho are not printed in one location and then shipped out all over the US. National papers send the content of the papers to print houses all over the US where they are printed somewhat locally and then shipped out regionally.) Then you have to get people to recycle or else again your footprint raises.
If I had to guess tho, I'll bet newspapers are more environmentally friendly when compared to home users using big desktop PC's. I'll bet they lose when compared to things like kindles and iPhones.
I'll bet this question is a PhD question. I mean somebody somewhere probably has written a dissertation on the subject it's so complex.
I hope this helps you at least understand the magnitude of the question your asking.
Good Luck!
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$The web-server based system is basically an electricity consumer and the primary footprint after the server is built is power consumption.
To make newsprint, the tree from tree farms must be removed and moved to a pulp mill where it is processed into newsprint and thence to be printer on by mechanical presses - much less efficient built than the server electronics.
I thinks - hands down - the bigger carbon footprint is the newsprint.
Personal knowledge of processing of paper and understanding of server farms.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Darron
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Didn't they say on TWIT that it would be cheaper for the NY Times to give all their subscribers a Kindle than to print 1 year's worth of papers. That should give an idea of just how much printing the paper costs.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I don't know that cost to consumer = carbon footprint. I agree with @pazaq, this is an incredibly complicated question to answer.
Answer does not compute, too many variables.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
That wold be the same as counting the carbon footprint of build the roads for trucks to drive on and the refineries making fuel for them to run so print cna be delivered. That in my opinion is getting a little carried away but the total size of the web-based carbon footprint would still be smaller.
Darron
But iPhones/computers/Kindles have multiple uses. Surely in calculating the carbon footprint of these devices vis-a-vis printed newspapers you would look at the percentage of use. For example, I have no doubt that my iPhone has a fairly high carbon footprint, but I use it for reading email (40%), making phone calls (10%), sending SMS (20%), etc. If newspaper reading only takes up 2%, then how does that compare to the newspaper, which only has one purpose/use?
I figured this one would be big. My normal assumption is from the consumer's perspective although 140 characters is often not enough to include that. What consumes more on the consumer's end between newsprint, web news, and Kindles? It would seem that newsprint would be safer environmentally provided the distribution chain isn't too inefficient. I used to be in that end of things which meant that I had to deliver on foot rather than with automotive assistance.
It is a big question indeed. You make a unique case starting to look at the matter. If people narrow their answers when presented with questions, that can be looked upon favorably.
I can accept as helpful multiple case scenarios.