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Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2020

Is the emissions impact of growing streaming video usage offset by gains in energy efficiency?

Allegra Taylor, Gigafact Foundry
yes

Use of online video continues to grow, but its emissions impact is offset by cleaner energy sources and increased efficiency. The International Energy Agency noted in 2017 that a tripling in data center workloads required a 3% gain in energy consumption. Another study found that energy required for internet transmission falls 50% every two years.

Thus, a 2014 estimate that 30 minutes of streaming creates 200 grams of carbon emissions overstates the current impact. (A typical car emits 8,887 grams of carbon dioxide from one gallon of gasoline, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.) For Netflix and its rivals streaming costs are "becoming minimal," a Columbia University researcher told Mashable, an online news site.

In total, information and communications technology account for around 2% of global emissions.

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