Select a region
The Government is on a mission to remove unnecessary PDFs from its website in the name of environmentalism, after it emerged that that the documents produce four times more CO₂ emissions than a webpage containing the same information.
Last year, the Web Services team removed 1,000 unnecessary PDFs from the site.
Web content guidelines for gov.je have also been updated to remove PDFs, transfer content to webpages, and transform PDF applications to online forms.
Officials revealed the new approach to e-correspondence following questions from Express prompted by a response to a request under the Freedom of Information request. In the response, the Government revealed that it was not keeping track of carbon emissions linked to email use by its thousands of employees – despite the Government's own Climate Jersey social media accounts encouraging islanders to limit their own electronic communications to decrease emissions.
However, the Government did move to reassure islanders that it would "continue working to improve data related to emails in the coming months”.
The inbox-related post on the Government's Climate Jersey social media pages - which aim to promote "working together to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050" – was part of a campaign of pledges from people who had taken carbon literacy training.
The post – which had been scheduled in advance on the accounts run by the Sustainability and Climate Change Engagement team within the Infrastructure and Environment Department – suggested: "Why not clear out your inbox as a New Years resolution?"
Emails. Most of us receive or send them every day.
— Climate Jersey (@climatejsy) January 8, 2024
According to the book How Bad are Bananas, global emails account for 0.3% of the world’s #carbonfootprint.
Why not clear out your inbox as a New Years resolution. Here's an example of a pledge from Carbon Literacy training ???? pic.twitter.com/0dibNsyL4T
Islanders also slammed another of their pledges, which encouraged people to take on a 'no-fly' challenge to cut their carbon emissions – days after a new tourism strategy had been published, and as Storm Henk cancelled ferry crossings.
Officials said that the account was intended to encourage thinking about behaviour change, adding it "therefore naturally highlights ways in which islanders might want to consider reducing their carbon emissions".
Pictured: Islanders criticised a Climate Jersey post which encouraged people to take on a 'no-fly' challenge to cut their carbon emissions – days after a new tourism strategy had been published, and as Storm Henk cancelled ferry crossings.
In its response to the FOI request, the Government confirmed that it does not hold a list of emails and attachments that it sent during 2023.
There is also no record of consideration having been given to the hosting of signature footer images on a website and not attached into the email.
As a result, a carbon impact analysis has not been completed on the digital footprint for the Government's emails and email attachments.
When Express asked the Government whether this was something the Government would be looking to change, the Government provided a statement – following a week of back-and-forth correspondence.
A statement said: "Within the Government of Jersey there is a limit on the size of attachments which can be sent and received. We have been actively increasing the use of computer messaging software for the sharing of documents."
The statement further explained that the Web Services Team had identified that PDFs produce four times more CO₂ emissions than a webpage containing the same text and web content guidelines had been updated to remove PDFs, transfer content to webpages, and transform PDF applications to online forms.
In 2023, the Web Services team removed 1,000 unnecessary PDFs from the site, the statement said.
Other activities included the merging of content from 16 individual pages into one comprehensive page for the Animal Welfare Code, meaning users accessing the same information produce 15 times less CO₂.
Skills Jersey's presence on gov.je will also be reduced from approximately 120 to 26, "lowering the amount of CO₂ emissions", it added.
The statement concluded: "We will continue working to improve data related to emails in the coming months."
What do you think of the novel way the Government is seeking to reduce its emissions? Have you taken on any 'carbon pledges' this year? Let us know by writing to editor@bailiwickexpress.com.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.