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People in the UK are increasingly on the hunt for ways to tread lightly on the planet, according to new data from technology giant Google.
Figures from its Search and Maps apps show that searches for vintage or recycled clothes and information on electric cars have risen significantly in the last year.
Google has also updated the Google Doodle – which appears on its search engine homepage – with time-lapse images from Google Earth, showing glacier retreat on Mount Kilimanjaro, coral bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and deforestation in Germany.
Time-lapse images show a Greenland glacier in the year 2000 vs. 20 years later. Pic: Google
Since March 2021 the number of people searching for a “used clothing store” on Google Maps has increased more than five times, which Google calls a sign people are trying to live more sustainably.
Google Earth image shows a forest in Germany in 1995… (Pic: Google)
…compared with 2020, after significant forest loss driven by a bark beetle infestation due to rising temperatures and severe drought. Pic: Google
Searches on Google Maps for waste management services are up 86%, and searches for donation centres have more than double, according to the data released to mark Earth Day.
“These trends show how enthusiastic the UK is about making sustainable choices,” Matt Brittin, Google president for EMEA, said in response to the new data.
Google Earth image from 1986 shows a glacier at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro… Pic: Google
…and how much the glacier had retreated by 2020. Pic: Google
Queries related to electric cars are also on the up, with searches for electric vehicle charging stations more than doubling since March last year.
Read more:
Earth Day: What is it, what’s happening, and what has it achieved?
Electric car prices could be about to plummet – here’s why
The tech company said it was aware people “aren’t always sure where to start” when it comes to reducing demand for climate-polluting products.
In response it is tweaking some of its tools in a bid to help, such as displaying carbon emissions in Google Flights or showing the most fuel-efficient routes on Google Maps.
Bleaching has damaged corals in just a few months in Australia. Pic: Google
Two months later, Australia’s coral had changed dramatically. Pic: Google
Using the internet requires significant energy to power its functions, from searching online to storing emails on servers.
Google says it is already carbon neutral, meaning it offsets all its emissions and aims to decarbonise its energy consumption by 2030.
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