As someone who’s never paid attention to the environmental impact of the internet, this is certainly a head turner.

Particularly as video becomes a primary medium of entertainment and information consumption (YouTube, TikTok, Reels, oh my!), this statistic from French think tank The Shift Project was shocking:

“Watching online videos accounts for the biggest chunk of the world’s internet traffic – 60% – and generates 300m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, which is roughly 1% of global emissions.”

Perhaps paying attention to the impact of internet usage is a new way to shift some people’s internet habits. For example:

Hate climate change? Get off your phone. Save the environment.

Go touch grass. Stay in nature and save nature.

The world doesn’t need another cat video. But the world (and cats) need you (to go offline).

What would be your sustainability ad for the internet?