EcoRouting: Carbon-Aware Path Optimization in Green Internet Architectures

The exponential growth of Internet traffic has raised increasing concerns over the environmental sustainability of network infrastructures, particularly regarding energy consumption and carbon emissions. While traditional routing algorithms prioritize performance metrics such as speed, reliability, and QoS (Quality of Service), they often overlook the environmental cost associated with data transmission. This study presents EcoRouting, a carbon-aware routing algorithm designed for the Green Internet that integrates emission intensity into the graph-based path optimization process. Implemented in a simulated network environment using Python and NetworkX, EcoRouting leverages real-world carbon intensity data from ElectricityMap to evaluate route selection based on both carbon emissions and latency. Across four experimental scenarios, including static and time-varying emissions, QoS comparison, and multi-city topologies, EcoRouting consistently demonstrated carbon savings of up to 47.1%, with acceptable latency tradeoffs ranging from 2.61% to 95.2% depending on network conditions. The results confirm that EcoRouting provides a viable, scalable, and environmentally conscious approach for reducing the carbon footprint of Internet routing while maintaining QoS.

@article{Handrizal2025,
  title     = {EcoRouting: Carbon-Aware Path Optimization in Green Internet Architectures},
  journal   = {International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications},
  volume    = {16},
  number    = {8},
  year      = {2025},
  publisher = {The Science and Information Organization},
  author    = {Handrizal and Herriyance and Amer Sharif},
  doi       = {10.14569/IJACSA.2025.0160809},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2025.0160809}
}