Wednesday 15 April 2020

Covid-19 pandemic causes internet usage to spike by 70%

Internet habits could be generating ‘shocking’ levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

A new study by Website Builder Expert exposes the digital carbon footprints of the world’s ‘most popular’ internet activities, noting the Covid-19 pandemic has caused internet usage to increase by 70%.

According to findings, streaming on platforms like Netflix contributes up to 5,120 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every minute.

YouTube, on the other hand, contributes a lower 4.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide every minute.

With 3.8 million searches performed every minute, Google accounts for the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions as the production of 3,800 plastic bags.

The report suggests the global lockdown has resulted in an 85% increase in online streaming, raising concerns of digital carbon footprints increasing globally.

As a remedial measure, Netflix has lowered its content’s quality at the behest of the European Commission to reduce the load on networks amid the coronavirus crisis.