Email signatures contribute to carbon emissions and fatalities

A recent study highlights the environmental impact of email signatures, suggesting they contribute to carbon emissions and potentially lead to premature deaths. In Canada, the addition of gender pronouns in signatures may result in one death annually due to increased emissions. The study argues that much of the information in email signatures is unnecessary, as emails already identify senders. It proposes replacing signatures with hyperlinks or eliminating them entirely to reduce emissions and improve communication efficiency. Spam emails also contribute significantly to carbon emissions, despite being deleted often. Proposals to reduce digital waste, such as taxes on emails, are being discussed, but spam remains a persistent issue. The study calls for awareness of the environmental costs of digital communication.