Video streaming and carbon footprint: “150 meters drive or an hour of streaming”

Streaming has boomed since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, with opponents continually raising the questionable environmental record. After all, Netflix & Co. requires servers, an Internet-enabled device and intermediate stages, such as an Internet provider. All of these stages also emit CO₂. In an investigation, RTL Germany has now determined how this Streaming has an impact on CO₂ emissions. However, the end result is not exactly telling.

150 meters driving or an hour of streaming

Anyone who is one of the more than 3.4 million subscribers to RTL + should emit an average of 42.7 grams of CO2e for one hour of streaming. CO2e is CO₂ equivalents, a measure of the relative contribution to the greenhouse effect. According to RTL, the average emissions should correspond to a car journey of 150 meters. However, it is completely unclear how RTL gets this value. After all, the CO₂ emissions of a car depend, among other things, on the engine, the vehicle size, the state of the art, the driving style and the weather conditions. Noisy Quarks CO₂ calculator 42.7 grams of CO₂ correspond to a distance of 213 meters in a car with a petrol engine and consumption of 7.2 liters.

According to RTL, there should be no CO2e emissions in-house. 0.8 grams of CO2e are estimated for the use of the cloud, the transport to the user is calculated at 11.1 grams of CO2e. At 30.9 grams, the user’s energy consumption emits the most carbon dioxide, according to the study carried out directly by RTL Germany and Bertelsmann. The decisive factor is which end device the subscribers use to watch RTL+. Anyone who watches via tablet, for example, saves CO₂, while an old television often uses more electricity than a Smart TV and thus ensures higher CO₂ emissions.

Also worth reading: CO₂ neutrality in mind: Samsung announces new environmental strategy

Collection on CO₂ emissions from video streaming:

• In a study, RTL Germany has now determined how streaming affects CO₂ emissions.
• Anyone who is one of the more than 3.4 million subscribers to RTL+ should emit the equivalent of 42.7 grams of CO₂ on average for one hour of streaming.
• According to the RTL study, the user himself has the greatest influence through the choice of end device. Anyone watching via a tablet, for example, saves carbon dioxide, while an old television often uses more electricity than a smart TV and thus causes higher CO₂ emissions.

Sources: info satellite, cottage cheese