One activity that has become even more popular since the beginning of COVID than it already was is streaming movies, videos, music, and other online content. I have to admit that my family and I watch a lot of movies and shows on either Netflix or Disney and stream music on either Pandora or YouTube without really thinking about what impact this is having on the environment in terms of carbon emissions.
According the The Shift Project, which is a French Carbon transition think tank, watching online movies and videos accounts for about 60% of global internet traffic, which is by far the highest compared to any other category; this equals about 1% of total global emissions. When streaming movies, there are two contributions to carbon emissions that are occurring simultaneously: emissions due to the energy that your device (e.g. TV, computer, phone) is consuming and emissions due to the servers and networks (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, Sling, YouTube) that are storing and distributing the content you are watching.
Another question concerns the type of content that is contributing the most to these emissions. According to the BBC in 2020, there are three categories into which almost all video streaming can be classified, and each of them accounts for approximately 1/3 of total emissions: 1) on-demand video services such as Netflix and Amazon, 2) videos on YouTube and other social media, and unfortunately 3) pornography. (A simple change of behavior could eliminate at least one third of these emissions very quickly.) To put Category #1 into perspective, the BBC article mentioned that the total energy consumed by Netflix in one year could power nearly 37,000 homes.
So what can we do because we are not going to give up Netflix and YouTube anytime soon? Below are some easy suggestions:
Avoid falling asleep while streaming online content (videos and music) since many shows continue to play next episodes automatically though this setting can be changed.
Always select SD (standard definition) over HD (high definition) or UHD (ultra-high definition) when renting a movie or show.
Use your wifi as opposed to your cellular data network, which costs over twice as much in emissions, whenever possible.
If your eyesight will allow it, use your phone or laptop when it is not too inconvenient as a TV uses much more energy.
Avoid Category #3 of video streaming mentioned above altogether.
Regarding streaming music, purchase a physical CD if you plan to listen to a particular song at least 25 times; below this, streaming the song is more environmentally-friendly than producing the CD.
Objective:
Focus on using your wifi network instead of cellular data whenever possible while at home this week.
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