The more you Netflix, the bigger your carbon footprint.
While watching Crash Landing On You, you may have paused midway through the episode to laugh, cry, admire Hyun Bin’s chiselled jawline, or google “Son Ye Jin facial products”. However, how many of us have paused to think about how much greenhouse gasses we are generating per episode? How many of us are even aware that we were generating greenhouse gasses?
Data shows that following downward-revised British estimates, a one-hour stream generates almost 20g of CO2. This means that you will generate about 320g of CO2 by watching all the episodes of Crash Landing On You, without replays. For comparison, the average passenger vehicle emits around 400g of CO2 per mile!
Often, this is not an impact we keep in mind as we double-tap our way through our Instagram feed, or swoon and sigh as we stream YouTube videos over and over again. Yet this is one act of carbon generation in which we are all complicit. As we stream videos, data centres burn fossil fuels to keep us entertained. While some data centres have switched to renewable energy sources, many still resort to fossil fuels, especially in areas where there is a lack of renewable energy infrastructure.
Are you polluting the earth by watching Crash Landing On You? Photo Credit: Studio Dragon
We can do better, can be more conscientious...starting today. A few simple changes can go a long way. Here are 3 new internet habits we can practice!
1. Watch Netflix with your friends and family instead of alone! This reduces the number of individual streams and also serves as a fun bonding activity. With public interaction being ill-advised due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what better way than to bond with your flat-mates than laughing together at the same sitcoms?
2. Take frequent breaks from screen time and engage in other activities! Instead of constantly staring at your television or laptop screen, relax by reading an ebook, drawing, baking or more! Not only are these better for the environment, they are often better for your eyes too.
Even watching Our Planet generates greenhouse emissions.
3. Practice mindfulness when it comes to your YouTube and Netflix habits. Are you binge-watching YouTube videos just to avoid doing your homework? Is your latest Netflix-spree your way of coping with stress? Where you feel that you are indulging in an unhealthy amount of screen time, you may like to explore the underlying reasons. For instance, try addressing your procrastination by planning out your schedule and rewarding yourself with breaks, a candy or five minutes of YouTube time when you manage to stick to that schedule. If you are binge-watching Netflix as a way of ignoring your stress, try talking with someone about your problems! This will reduce your screen time and make you feel better.
It is not hard to see how streaming shows and videos online can be one of the most fun ways of passing time. However, it is time for us to be more mindful about our data usage and resultant carbon footprint. It may be hard to cut back on our favourite shows but think about it this way: The Office, or The Planet?
