Carbon Footprint of Google Meet
IdleForest models one hour of Google Meet use at about 45g of CO2.
Google Meet video calls rely on efficient Google infrastructure, but the combined energy use of meetings still adds up quickly. If you're comparing Google Meet with Zoom or estimating video meeting CO2, the biggest factors are call length, participant count, cameras on, and device choice.
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How the estimate is calculated
Annual footprint formula
45g CO2e/hour x 2h/day x 365 / 1000 = 32.9kg CO2e/year
Tree offset formula
ceil(32.9kg CO2e / 20 kg CO2e per tree-year) = 2 rounded up
Source basis: This estimate combines the app's modeled hourly footprint, usage assumption, methodology notes, and linked research sources. It is directional and should be read as a transparent consumer estimate, not a vendor emissions disclosure.
What drives this estimate most
- Video, screen sharing, and participant count all change the intensity of online work tools.
- Background browser and app activity can keep the system drawing power even outside meetings.
- Meeting-heavy workflows create both device-side and network-side overhead.
Assumptions and boundaries
- The estimate reflects active use rather than an app left open but unused.
- It is built to compare common digital work behaviors, not to audit a specific office setup.
- It includes both the device and the infrastructure supporting the session.
Uncertainty note: Work-tool emissions depend heavily on call quality, participant count, device efficiency, and how much multitasking happens during the session.
Yearly Impact Comparison
*IdleForest offsets ~200kg CO2/year on average per user.
Ways to reduce this footprint
- Turn video off when it is not necessary for the meeting outcome.
- Reduce meeting length and unnecessary participants when possible.
- Close heavy browser tabs and background tools during focused work.
Estimate review
Who reviewed this estimate
Reviewed by: IdleForest Research Team
Role: Editorial Review
Organization: IdleForest
Last reviewed: May 10, 2026
These estimates are meant to help compare digital habits. They are directional, not exact reproductions of proprietary vendor accounting.
Sources
Nature Communications: The environmental sustainability of digital content consumption
Peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment covering web use, social media, video, music streaming, and video conferencing.
IEA: Data centres and data transmission networks
Provides broader context on the infrastructure behind cloud and network energy use.
MIT CEEPR: How much can we reduce CO2 by planting trees?
Supports the offset conversion used by IdleForest: roughly 20kg CO2 absorbed per mature tree per year, with wide real-world variation.
More questions about Google Meet's carbon footprint
Does Google Meet use a lot of data?
HD video calls use about 2-3GB of data per hour, which directly translates to network energy consumption.
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About IdleForest
IdleForest is a desktop app that plants trees in the background while your computer is idle. It uses your unused internet bandwidth to fund reforestation projects.
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