As the Metaverse is iteratively being defined, its potential to unleash the next wave of digital disruption and create real-life value becomes increasingly clear. With distinctive features of immersive experience, simultaneous interactivity, and user agency, the Metaverse has the capability to transform all walks of life. However, the enabling technologies of the Metaverse, i.e., digital twin, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and extended reality, are known to be energy-hungry, therefore raising concerns about the sustainability of its large-scale deployment and development. This article proposes Green Metaverse Networking for the first time to optimize energy efficiencies of all network components for Metaverse sustainable development. We first analyze energy consumption, efficiency, and sustainability of energy-intensive technologies in the Metaverse. Next, focusing on computation and networking, we present major advancements related to energy efficiency and their integration into the Metaverse. A case study of energy conservation by incorporating semantic communication and stochastic resource allocation in the Metaverse is presented. Finally, we outline the critical challenges of Metaverse sustainable development, thereby indicating potential directions of future research towards the green Metaverse.

翻译：随着元宇宙的迭代定义逐步清晰，其释放下一波数字颠覆浪潮并创造现实价值的潜力日益凸显。凭借沉浸式体验、实时交互性和用户自主性等独特特征，元宇宙有能力变革各行各业。然而，元宇宙的使能技术——数字孪生、人工智能、区块链和扩展现实——已知具有高能耗特性，因而引发了对其大规模部署和开发可持续性的担忧。本文首次提出绿色元宇宙网络概念，旨在优化所有网络组件的能效以实现元宇宙的可持续发展。我们首先分析了元宇宙中高能耗技术的能耗、能效及可持续性。接着，聚焦计算与网络领域，介绍了与能效相关的主要进展及其在元宇宙中的集成。本文通过一个结合语义通信与随机资源分配的元宇宙节能案例研究进行展示。最后，我们概述了元宇宙可持续发展的关键挑战，从而指明了未来绿色元宇宙研究的潜在方向。