Building a Sustainable Internet: Lessons from Subsea with Nicole Starosielski

What is the environmental impact of the internet, and how can it be made more sustainable? While data centers often take the spotlight, the fiber-optic cables that carry over 99% of transoceanic internet traffic rarely appear in discussions of digital infrastructure’s environmental footprint. Recent events, such as disruptions in the Baltic Sea and off the coasts of Taiwan and Ivory Coast, have put these subsea networks in the global spotlight.

In a lecture from The Brilliance of Berkeley series, UC Berkeley Film and Media professor Nicole Starosielski explores how sustainability initiatives can reshape the backbone of the internet: subsea fiber-optic cables. Drawing on her work coordinating global efforts, Starosielski highlights strategies to reduce emissions, enhance cable sustainability, and foster cross-sector collaboration between academia, industry, and technical domains. Her insights demonstrate that building a more sustainable internet is not only possible but actionable.

Watch the lecture: The Brilliance of Berkeley with Nicole Starosielski — How to Build a Sustainable Internet: Lessons from Subsea

Understanding the environmental and technical challenges of subsea cables echoes the kinds of systems and questions explored in Berkeley’s Global Digital Infrastructure (GDI) program. Students in GDI examine how networks, data centers, and undersea cables operate together, and how design choices, from energy use to routing, impact both society and the planet.

Read more about how you can take classes and earn a certificate in Global Digital Infrastructure: GDI Overview Page