Looking on the bright side of a tough 12 months, one benefit from our on-and-off spells in lockdown has been the positive effect on the environment.
People are travelling less, both locally and international, meaning pollution from vehicles has lowered dramatically.
In fact, a new study recently found that global carbon emissions in 2020 saw a record drop.
But that’s not to say it’s all good news…
Research from a clan of universities has found that a one-hour video conference on Zoom could emit up to 1,000 grams of carbon.
By way of comparison, using one gallon of petrol in a car would equate to 8,000 grams of carbon.
So, the carbon emitted during eight hours of video conferencing could equate to the same as driving around 50 miles in an average Ford Focus.
Kaveh Madani, who led the research, said: “Banking systems tell you the positive environmental impact of going paperless, but no one tells you the benefit of turning off your camera or reducing your streaming quality.
“So without your consent, these platforms are increasing your environmental footprint”
There is however a caveat. The research estimates the carbon usage to be between 150g-1000g, so the calculations above are something of a worst-case scenario.
There are also things users can do to reduce this figure. The report claims that by turning off their camera a user can slash the carbon emissions they contribute by up to 96 per cent.
So if you don’t have time to make yourself presentable for that 9am Zoom call, or you haven’t tidied the lounge, keep the camera off and help save the planet.
The surge in the use of videoconferencing tools during the pandemic has contributed to an increased usage of the internet over the same period. A number of countries have reported an increase of at least 20 per cent since March.
But videoconferencing isn’t necessarily the biggest culprit, with streaming services such as Netflix potentially emitting far greater amounts of carbon.
The study said that switching the quality down from HD to standard definition could cut emissions by 86 per cent.
from UC Today https://ift.tt/3j68h3s
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