On 7/25/19 9:10 PM, Toerless Eckert wrote:
the Internet has been the biggest reducer of energy
that i could think of in comparison of equivalent alternatives.
For the whole planet for the last few decades.
Email/online-group-communications vs. transporting physical equivalents,
video conferencing, Home office, Telecommuning vs. train, plane automobiles
and ships ?
If online communications were reducing the need for air travel, we would
expect to see a significant decrease in air travel since 2000. Instead:
https://www.iea.org/tcep/transport/aviation/
> Demand for air transport has more than doubled since 2000, and demand
for both passenger and freight aviation is expected to remain strong in
the future.
> In 2018, passenger activity increased by 6.1% to 8.2 trillion revenue
passenger kilometres, and the number of total air passengers reached a
record 4.3 billion (ICAO, 2019a). This activity growth is a slowdown
from the 7.9% increase registered in 2017, however, with regional growth
rates in 2018 ranging between 4.7% and 7.3%.
I agree that online collaboration has the *potential* to reduce
emissions. However, it is not fulfilling that potential. That's why we
need to walk the talk and demonstrate how to collaborate effectively
online, so other industries can adopt our methods and tools.
