Did you know that every second of video you watch puts 0.2 grams of CO2 in the atmosphere? Only counting YouTube, with 2 billion videos watched every day at a conservative 10 seconds each, that's 4,000 tonnes.
It just goes downhill from there. This animated infographic—created by Dan Ilic and designed by Patrick Clair—shows our internet consumption is kind of dirty, as harmless as it may seem. But before you scream that cats and Rick Astley are destroying us, keep in mind that this is nothing compared to most other industries. In fact, I would argue that, despite the senseless dumb videos and lolcat watching, the environmental cost/benefit ratio of the internet is extremely positive for humans. Perhaps the most positive ever in our history as species. If you don't count wine and beer, I mean.
Cats and Rick Astley may still destroy the planet, though. But not with YouTube videos. Their evil plan is another. [Thanks Lisa!]