Why you should turn off your camera during zoom meetings Credit: Public Domain CC0. It’s not just to hide clutter anymore – add “saving the planet” to the reasons you leave the camera off during your next virtual meeting. A new study says that despite a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020, a pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home entertainment still presents significant environmental impact due to how internet data is stored and transferred around the world. Just one hour of videoconferencing or streaming, for example, emits 150-1,000 grams of carbon dioxide (a gallon of gasoline burned from a car emits about 8,887 grams), requires 2-12 liters of water and demands a land area adding up to about the size of an iPad Mini.