The digital sector in France, in 3 categories
Carbon footprint of digital in France, 2022, in million tonnes of CO2e
The digital sector in France, in 3 categories
The analysis
- Digital accounts for 4.4% of France's carbon footprint, 29.5 million tonnes of CO2e.
- The share of data centres goes from 16 to 47% from one study to the other: the 2025 study counts those located abroad, where 53% of uses run.
- 60% of the footprint comes from equipment manufacturing, 40% from its use.
The figures
- Devices (49.5%): 14.6 Mt.
- Data centres (46.7%): 13.8 Mt.
- Networks (3.8%): 1.1 Mt.
Assumptions
- Digital uses by the French, data centres abroad included, life cycle.
- The 2 studies do not have the same scope: the apparent increase comes mainly from foreign data centres.
- 2022 data: generative AI is almost absent.
More on climate
The whole Climate topic →Charts and maps
Chart
ClimateGoogle and Microsoft emissions58 to 81%rise in emissions since the baseline yearChartClimateElectricity emissions, by contract or by grid1 to 4,400the same scope 2 at Meta, depending on the methodChartClimateOne question, 4 ways of counting CO2eover90timesgap between the lowest and the highestChartClimateServer electricity, country by country14times as muchin Poland than in France, for the same calculation
ClimateGoogle and Microsoft emissions58 to 81%rise in emissions since the baseline yearChartClimateElectricity emissions, by contract or by grid1 to 4,400the same scope 2 at Meta, depending on the methodChartClimateOne question, 4 ways of counting CO2eover90timesgap between the lowest and the highestChartClimateServer electricity, country by country14times as muchin Poland than in France, for the same calculationAnalyses
AnalysisClimate12 November 2026Why do estimates of AI's impact differ?Calculated with French electricity, one question to an AI emits 0.012 gram of CO2e; Mistral AI publishes 1.14 gram, more than 90 times as much. Its water use ranges from 0.26 to 45 millilitres depending on the published measurements. These figures are accurate; they do not cover the same scope.
Where does this figure come from?Climate20 October 2026"Meta's electricity emits only 1,358 tonnes of CO2e"In 2024, Meta reports 1,358 tonnes of CO2e for the electricity it buys, the annual footprint of 170 people in France. The same report also gives 5.97 million tonnes. Both of the 2 figures are accurate.Tools
On the Projet Celsius blog ↗
Hardware
Across the hub
AI Impact DatabaseAll the figures, their methodology and their sources.
AI Ranking10 assistants rated out of 100: performance, ethics and environment.
AnalysesThe signed pieces: analyses, viewpoints, "Where does this figure come from?".
Charts and mapsYou are hereThe reference visuals, with their data and sources.
ToolsOpen calculations, your assumptions on the left, the result on the right.
A question about a figure?
An error, a source to add, a methodology question, a press request: write to us. Guillaume Pakula, Clément Reynaud, Sébastien Pierfederici and Alexandre Veilly will reply.
Write to us →
Projet Celsius, which runs this hub, also helps companies measure and reduce the footprint of their AI use.
Accounting for AI in your Bilan Carbone® ↗
