#DoYouKnow: Your Netflix Spree habit has a substantial effect on environment
Movie bedtimes needed to drive to the regional video store to rent, rewind and return the latest blockbuster. Now on-demand video content providers offer a multitude of binge-worthy options to the touch of a finger.
But experts say that the ease of streaming services comes with a high environmental price tag. Watching a half-hour show would lead to emissions of 1.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent, said Maxime Efoui-Hess of the French Shift Project think tank. This is equivalent to driving 6.28 km.
Last year, on-line video streaming created emissions comparable to a European country which quantity might double within the next six years, per the Shift Project. whereas most of the web traffic – 34%- is said to stream videos, on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, as an example, successive biggest sector is an on-line creative activity.
“Digital videos come in very large file sizes and (are) growing larger with each new generation of higher-definition videos,” said Greenpeace’s Gary Cook, who monitors the energy footprint of the IT sector.
“More information is equivalent to more resources needed to maintain a machine that is prepared to deliver this video to your computer at a moment’s notice,” Cook told AFP. Much of the energy needed for streaming services is absorbed by a data center that transfers information to your computer or device, Cook explained.
