[TrevorJ]

"Google search is not without environmental consequence — 0.2 grams of CO2 per search, the company claims"

I wonder how that compares to the CO2 cost of driving to the library to look up the same bit of information for the average person?

[razorburn]

It's a fallacious analogy. People didn't use to drive to the library to look up tidbits of info - search engines create new demand. Also, use of libraries has gone up greatly since they began installing computers for patrons. So driving to libraries is increasing even as Net use is increasing.