shows The Overview, to create the economic and the Ministry of Finance since the beginning of the Corona – pandemic regularly together, something like the pulse of the society. Between end-March and mid-April, this was pretty far down. 60 percent less visits in the retail and leisure activities, 50 percent fewer trips to the workplace: The company did as you advised: #stayathome.
Julia Löhr
business correspondent in Berlin.
F. A. Z.
But since at least Easter has changed, people move around a lot more. Especially Environmental policy-makers makes the nervous. Because now it is the exciting question: What are the positive but also the negative behaviours from the first Virus-shaft will remain? And what that means for the climate goals?
On Thursday presented Federal environment Minister, Svenja Schulze (SPD) in Berlin-a first study conducted by the Ministry together with the consulting firm EY and the Wuppertal Institute. This shows that The data traffic through video conferences, online shopping, and streaming services has increased significantly, by 10 per cent since the beginning of the Corona-precautions to be taken in March. Thus, a higher energy consumption and the associated emissions goes hand in hand. Highlight of the was 10. March, with a data throughput of 9,16 Tbit/s at the data node in Frankfurt – a world record. At the same time, commuter traffic fell significantly, by the end of may, he was, according to the Google Mobility Reports still 30 percent under the value-Corona-times.
a / C balance sheet in the Corona times are not predictable
Lower emissions from road and air traffic, increased emissions from traffic: As the balance is below the line, whether Corona, the German climate balance preserves more of or charged, was not able Schulze has to say on Thursday. EY Partner Thomas Losse-Möller was already a bit clearer: “The traffic is now back to the level before the crisis, although there is still a lot of people are in the home office.” The visits to Bus and railway stations are, however, more below the previously usual level. The suggests: more Environmentally-friendly means of transport are not asked because of possible Contagion so.
To 8 per cent of the traffic could reduce revenue by less professional travel in the long term, says the study. At the same time conferences, the data consumption is rising by more video. 25 per cent of the EY Germans surveyed also say that they want to buy in the future, consumer durables, increasingly, online. “We should make sure that we minimize the environmental risks,” said Schulze.
The Minister proposes, among other things, that electronic devices do not have play Videos automatically in high definition, but user the choice between different bandwidths. Holger Berg, digitization expert at the Wuppertal Institute said, with a view on the energy demand through the use of digital services: “In a country ranking would be Germany, the world number five or six. This indicates that we have to deal with this energy consumption is not necessarily more.“
