Zoom sessions and Google Hangouts: Are virtual meetings exacerbating climate emergency?
By
Thursday Dec 24, 2020
A student takes classes online with his companions using the Zoom app at home in El Masnou, north of Barcelona, Spain, April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Albert Gea/Files
LONDON: As schools and offices increasingly rely on applications such as Zoom and Alphabet Inc s Google Hangouts to hold classes and virtual meetings due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, concerns have grown that the surge in online sessions and video-streaming may be bolstering planet-heating emissions that likely exacerbate the climate emergency.
Face-to-face interactions in and out of the workplace have been replaced with video calls, emails, instant messaging, and virtual entertainment, translating into our reliance on digital technology skyrocketing this year.