The Next Climate Crisis: COVID-19 and the Digital Carbon Footprint
While the era of COVID-19 can be viewed as a period of crises in the sectors of international relations and public health, this time period has also highlighted a number of important environmental concerns. Even as daily global CO2 emissions decrease, the amount of data and electricity that is now being used to work from home, attend Zoom school/college, and to stay connected to our friends and family around the globe re-introduced important questions and concerns about our global digital carbon footprint.
The 21st century has introduced a consistent stream of new digital tools and technologies which not only influences our carbon footprint as a species, but also affects our natural environment of plants and animals as well due to the climate crisis caused by global warming and the influence of electromagnetic waves.
Energy Use in the Era of COVID-19
One of the major concerns when it comes to the digital carbon footprint is the amount of energy use that comes with mobile and at home entertainment, such as streaming music and the use of video sharing platforms. Each of these activities continues to account for a large share of our daily energy use, and is only expected to increase over time.
