![]() ![]() The researchers examined how many resources were associated with a gigabyte of data used by YouTube, Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and 12 other platforms, as well as in online gaming and web surfing. INTERNET SECTOR NEEDS 'TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT': AUTHOR km - to sequester the emitted carbon ģ00,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water associated with data processing and transmission Īnd a land footprint the size of Los Angeles The study found a number of countries have reported at least a 20 per cent increase in internet traffic since March, and if that trend continues by the end of 2021, it would require:Ī forest roughly three times the size of Prince Edward island - or 18,500 sq. “So before it gets too late, we want to warn people about consumerism in the digital world and the thing we might not be paying attention to.” “It is good that we don’t drive to meetings and we can meet each other over Zoom or other applications, but it doesn’t mean we can’t do better than this,” Madani, a visiting fellow at the Yale MacMillan Center, said. Madani acknowledged that connecting over video is how many are coping with lockdowns, but he urged people, internet companies and their regulators to keep refining the “unintended consequences” of their actions, especially in the internet age when more people are connecting online. ![]() The authors explained the carbon footprint is largely due to how internet data is stored and transferred as well as how data processing uses up a lot of electricity, which in turn, has carbon, water and land footprints. Additionally, that same video meeting could require between two to 12 litres of water and a land area the equivalent to the size of an iPad Mini. “A lot of us don’t know about our how impactful our actions are… and how much we can help by taking simple, very simple actions and small steps,” Madani, an environmental scientist said, calling the study a “first step” in order to do that.įor example, a gallon of gasoline burned from a car emits about nine kilograms of CO2, but just an hour of videoconferencing can create up to 10 per cent of that (or one kilogram). The study also found streaming content in standard definition instead of high definition can cut down carbon dioxide levels of that activity by 86 per cent, which Madani said was “significant when you consider there are millions of us watching videos from around the world.”Īccording to a press release, it’s the first study of its kind to analyze the carbon, water and land footprint associated with internet infrastructure and video use, with the findings being pertinent as more people have shifted to working remotely and streaming more entertainment because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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