With the launch of streaming services from Disney and Apple, the rollout of 5G and the growth in cryptocurrencies, experts are warning about the impact this huge rise in data use could have on the environment. There are now hundreds of thousands of data centres around the world, storing everything from viral videos to doctors’ notes and even bank account details. Many of them run on electricity generated by burning fossil fuels. Film and TV writer Beth Webb went in search of the internet and discovered that ‘the cloud’ is actually a vast network of energy-guzzling data centres and undersea cables.

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