Using the internet 'impacts upon air quality'

For every second that an internet user views a web page, 20 milligrams of carbon is released into the atmosphere, according to research carried out by a physicist from Harvard University.

By Alex Wissner-Gross' calculations, the energy used by the web viewer, as well as that consumed by the computers' networks, result in the release of carbon.

Mr Wissner-Gross put his calculations into perspective, stating that "at an individual surfer scale, the impact is not that large - about 50 per cent larger than a human exhaling", reported the Toronto Star.

He added: "But, in aggregate, for websites that get a lot of traffic, it can be substantial and I can be thousands of pounds of CO2 per month."

Previous research conducted by Gartner in 2007 was alluded to by the researcher, as it discovered that on a global scale, the IT sector emits the same amount of carbon annually than the aviation industry.

Meanwhile, in other air quality developments, Hong Kong's pollution levels are so high that one in five of its inhabitants are considering leaving the area to live somewhere healthier, according to a poll undertaken by Civic Exchange.