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Google is a relatively new service, like much of our modern technology we take for granted. It began in 1995 with two students; Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Page, an undergraduate, was considering attending Stanford University. Brin was assigned to work with him and show him around the school. After Page was accepted to Stanford, working from their dorm rooms, he and Brin built a special search engine. They called this search engine Backrub. On September 15, 1997, Backrub was officially renamed Google. The name Google was chosen as a play on the mathematical term "googol", which represents the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. Later that year, they registered google.com as an official domain. From the late 90s to 2012, Google had already launched some of its most used programs such as Google Images, Google Maps, Google Translate and Google Chrome. As of 2025, Google estimates about 8.5 Billion searches daily, becoming one of the most influential companies in the world. However, the increased usage of Google’s newer services like Gemini and AI search engines have led to higher emission rates than ever before.

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Using Google searches excessively can often negatively impact humans. Research shows that overuse of internet services can lead to cognitive disabilities, especially at younger ages where learning is especially vital. One part of this problem is that many people are increasingly reliant on Google to store and access information, potentially leading to a "digital amnesia" where they forget facts they can easily find online. Many people don’t worry about remembering phone numbers, birthdays or anniversaries anymore. This phenomenon is often called“digital amnesia”, the experience of forgetting information that you trust a device to store and remember for you. Although digital amnesia has not been recognized scientifically yet, scientists agree that relying less on the mind can lead to stunting in cognitive growth and development. One study by Kaspersky Lab found that 91% of people surveyed said they use the internet as an online extension of their brain, with 44% saying their smartphones have replaced the need to fully remember information. As a result, when the need arises to remember important information without having search engines such as Google at their disposal, people will find themselves at a loss. This can cause decreased performance in school and other similar activities where storing information in your memory is a necessity.

Another issue caused by being overly reliant on technology such as Google is that AI can often mislead people with information that may not come from a dependable source. When finding information online, you will often see an AI search engine embedded into Google so that whenever you look something up, the AI will pull the most ‘relevant’ sources. However, AI will pull from whatever sources it can find that seem relevant to the topic. One example of AI ultimately causing harm rather than benefiting, is when my mother got her finger super glued to a plastic bag. In this emergency situation, my father quickly searched up how to remove the finger from the bag. The AI search popped up, listing multiple different ways to unglue the finger. My mother followed the steps and later found that the AI had pulled up irrelevant information. Consequently, her finger remained stuck to the bag until my father was able to find better guidance. Therefore, making sure you are not overusing search engines such as Google and other technology built to remember information for you is fundamental to succeeding in school and other cognitive endeavors, because using a device to remember important information cannot always be relied on, and it can cause serious intellectual disabilities. It is also mandatory to always check that Google AI is pulling from relevant sources and if possible, to avoid using it at all.

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Many people who live in poorer areas of the world often make a living by collecting e-waste which can often lead to negative consequences in health and wellness. There are an estimated 12.9 million women and 18 million children who are strongly affected by this in their daily lives.

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Google's usage of AI has caused extreme highs in greenhouse gas emissions since 2019.

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Google AI negatively impacts the environment by over-consuming energy to polluting earth’s atmosphere. Google—especially due to their recent increases in AI usage—has faced extreme challenges with greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2025. Greenhouse gases are naturally occurring and human-produced gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat, causing the planet to warm up. They're called greenhouse gases because they function like the glass panels of a greenhouse, allowing sunlight in but preventing the heat from escaping. The World Economic Forum suggests that newer models of AI—such as GPT-4—could consume 50 times the amount of energy GPT-3 did. Larger AI models can use around 500,000 kWh per day, whereas an average US household consumes around 29 kWh.

According to Google’s Sustainability report of 2023, greenhouse gas emissions have jumped from 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent to nearly 15 million, causing extreme highs in global temperatures which affects countries such as Nigeria, Somalia and Chad. This dramatic increase in emissions is largely due to the energy required to operate AI systems across data centers worldwide. These data centers need constant cooling to prevent overheating, which leads to even more electricity consumption. Although Google has claimed to run its operations on carbon-free energy by 2030, current data suggests it is far from that goal. While Google’s AI has the potential to help with climate solutions—like improving energy efficiency or forecasting natural disasters—its current trajectory shows a need for stronger accountability in making AI both more intelligent and more sustainable.

Therefore, Google AI negatively impacts the environment by over-consuming energy to polluting our world's atmosphere. If we wish to preserve our earth, we need to take action.

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“Aiming to Achieve Net-Zero Emissions.” Google Sustainability, https://sustainability.google/operating-sustainably/net-zero-carbon/. Accessed 10 April 2025.

Anson, Chris. “What are the cognitive consequences of machine-generated writing?” NC State, https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/2023/03/27/how-is-ai-changing-how-we-write-and-create/#:~:text=Traditional%20writing%20classes%20are%20disrupted,more%20creatively%2C%20efficiently%20and%20collaboratively.

Cho, Renée. “What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem?” State of the Planet, 27 August 2018, https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/08/27/growing-e-waste-problem/. Accessed 10 April 2025.

“Cleaning Up Electronic Waste (E-Waste) | US EPA.” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/cleaning-electronic-waste-e-waste. Accessed 10 April 2025.

Eble, Julie. “Digital Amnesia.” Penn State University, 5 July 2016, https://www.psu.edu/news/impact/story/digital-amnesia. Accessed 10 April 2025.

“Google emissions jump nearly 50% over five years as AI use surges.” Financial Times, 2 July 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/383719aa-df38-4ae3-ab0e-6279a897915e. Accessed 10 April 2025.

“Google Salaries.” Comparably, https://www.comparably.com/companies/google/salaries. Accessed 10 April 2025.

“Google's '20% rule' shows exactly how much time you should spend learning new skills—and why it works.” CNBC, 16 December 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/16/google-20-percent-rule-shows-exactly-how-much-time-you-should-spend-learning-new-skills.html. Accessed 10 April 2025.

“The Growing Environmental Risks of E-Waste – Geneva Environment Network.” Geneva Environment Network, 9 October 2024, https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/the-growing-environmental-risks-of-e-waste/Accessed 10 April 2025.

“How we started and where we are today - Google.” About Google, https://about.google/company-info/our-story/. Accessed 10 April 2025.

Kerr, Dara. “Google and Microsoft report growing emissions as they double-down on AI.” NPR, 12 July 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/07/12/g-s1-9545/ai-brings-soaring-emissions-for-google-and-microsoft-a-major-contributor-to-climate-change. Accessed 10 April 2025.

“Land, Waste, and Cleanup Topics | US EPA.” Environmental Protection Agency, 26 November 2024, https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/land-waste-and-cleanup-topics. Accessed 25 April 2025.

Spector, David. “Google executive discriminated against male employees, bombshell lawsuit alleges.” New York Post, 2 April 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/04/02/business/google-executive-discriminated-against-male-employees-bombshell-lawsuit-alleges/. Accessed 10 April 2025.

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The effects of Google’s greenhouse emissions are widespread, affecting cognitive abilities and contributing to environmental issues. Though many of these problems seem daunting and nearly impossible to resolve—which some of them are—there are many different solutions. One of these solutions is to find an organization that advocates for environmental and human rights. Many different institutes are working to help with e-waste such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). EPA uses sound science to research safer chemicals and regulate harmful substances. They also provide information about specific chemicals and how you can protect yourself, your family and your community. The Alternatives for Disposition of Electronics Planning Tool (ADEPT) uses a combination of data sources and assumptions to track the generation of used electronics by state. We can work with such organizations to find involved ways to help make sure old electronics end up either recycled or in secure landfills. Other similar institutes include the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and research institutions like the Sustainable Cycles Programme (SCYCLE). However, there are other solutions to make small changes connected to preserving our environment. We can use our freedoms to petition and protest to create new laws and regulations regarding the matter and can even be more self-aware about only using Google AI when absolutely necessary and properly disposing of our devices. Overall, though many of these problems seem absolutely daunting and unresolvable, by advocating for environmental protection and petitioning for new laws and regulations we can find solutions.

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After extensively researching the impact of Google’s technology on humans and our environment, I have come to a conclusion that I will change my behaviour concerning using Google in several different ways. To begin with, I will attempt to avoid using Google AI reviews except for when it is completely necessary. Even though it remains one of the easiest ways to quickly find information online, the negative effects are jarring. Some AI models can use around 500,000 kWh per day, whereas an average US household only uses around 29 kWh! This results in extreme emission rate highs, which contributes to global warming. Before learning this information, I used Google AI reviews nearly every day. I never directly copied-or-pasted from them, but I still used the links attached. Unbeknownst to me, while not affecting my cognitive ability, it certainly affected the environment. Additionally, I have messaged several individuals in our school system who would seem to have control over our school’s blocking system. I hope that they will change our school’s policies about Google AI reviews due to their negative environmental and cognitive ramifications. As previously mentioned, one study by Kaspersky Lab found that 91% of people surveyed said they use the internet as an online extension of their brain, with 44% saying their smartphones have replaced the need to fully remember information. I would not want our school’s students to suffer such detriments, especially when linked to their ability to succeed in their endeavors. In general, I have come to the conclusion to change my everyday behaviour concerning usage of Google by avoiding AI reviews and spreading the word about the harmful effects.