What is the environmental impact of watching streaming content?
Watching a series on Netflix or a movie on Filmin is something that many of us do, but we are not aware of the environmental impact that these actions have. We tell you the answer. Much has been said about the environmental impact of watching streaming content, positioning has always been as if this action was the main cause of carbon dioxide emissions. The truth is that the latest studies suggest that reality is completely different from what is generally thought. In recent years, studies have come out that focused on the consumption of streaming content and that have been increasing due to the rise of teleworking due to the pandemic. These studies affirmed that if we continue to maintain this model of life and work, the carbon footprint could grow to 34.3 million tonsThis would cause the greenhouse effect to be even more severe. Netflix has a series of tricks that few people know, such as its codes to find content. In this report we have compiled all the secret codes of the platform. There have even been veiled accusations made against users for consuming streaming content, as investigations would indicate that they would be the culprits in global warming. But a last study that would come from the hand of techUK, an organization dedicated to the analysis of how technology improves opportunities in the modern world, affirms that the environmental impact of the consumption of streaming content is lower than what can be believed. In the study they comment that, logically, viewing a screen consumes energy and that, therefore, it makes use of its production sources. What happens is that when comparing this energy consumption to what was done a few years ago to watch a movie, because the impact pales. The example they give is that now much fewer people go to the movies, therefore, they no longer use the car and that impact is reduced. They do not deny that streaming consumption does not imply an expense and an energy impact, they simply affirm that it is much less than that generated by other activities such as going by car, putting a washing machine or buying something that needs energy to be produced. In fact, Another study by the Carbon Trust, a company that helps reduce the carbon emissions of other companies, states that emissions per user are small and depend on the country. In countries with greener energy production programs, emissions are lower. The main example is Sweden, whose users emit an average of 3 grams of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when consuming streaming content. The average in Europe would be 55 grams of carbon dioxide, an amount equivalent to using an electric kettle three times throughout the day. Register for FREE in the most influential technology community and enjoy exclusive content, contests, newsletters and much more   Yes indeed, There is also a certain nuance in terms of the device used to view the content. Mobile phones, laptops or tablets are more efficient and consume less electricity, so they emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.. A many-inch TV with low efficiency ratings can consume much more power and represent a larger amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. All studies conclude that energy consumption when watching streaming content has an impact on the environment. This impact in most cases is less than that of driving for several minutes. Whats more, this impact is focused on users and their consumption habits, when the real problem is large companies that do not have green production policies.