If we include all on-demand streaming providers and YouTube, streaming causes an estimated 50 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year, at least.
By comparison, you could cause the same amount of emissions by driving a mid-range petrol car 50 million times from Hamburg to Nigeria (one way corresponds to one tonne of CO2 equivalents). Or by travelling around the world 25 million times by train (with an estimated value of two tonnes of CO2 for 80,000 kilometres, according to UBA). This doesn’t even include music streaming, free film streaming and all other moving images that flicker across our screens.
These calculations are based on the ‘optimistic’ figure of 55 grams of CO2 equivalents per hour of video streaming, which was determined in a study by Carbon Trust. A study by the Borderstep Institute, on the other hand, comes up with 100 to 175 grams per hour of video streaming, while other studies are even higher. On the one hand, the differences are due to different methods and assumptions. On the other hand, we still lack a lot of data in this field and the studies are based on a large number of estimates. Nevertheless, the direction is clear: we are dealing with an enormous amount of CO2 emissions from streaming.
In this article, we show where the CO2 emissions from streaming originate: Green Streaming? We Need to Talk About Netflix, Prime and Co. The article also presents the various levers that providers of streaming services and network operators have at their disposal. The starting points are many and varied.
However, the possibilities of sustainable streaming on the provider side are still barely being utilised. And when we click on ‘Play’, the content does not reach us in maximum ‘energy-saving mode’. Until that happens, we have to adjust the settings ourselves. And there are other things we can do.
Your devices are the starting point for energy savings
- According to the Green Streaming guide produced by Fraunhofer FOKUS together with authors from LOGIC, Deutsche Telekom and KlimAktiv, the energy consumption of a smart TV with HDR is 20 times higher than that of a smartphone. The recommendation is therefore to stream on the smallest and most energy-efficient device possible.
- Many devices also have an energy-saving mode that is worth using.
- Use your devices for as long as possible, repair them and buy second-hand. This means that fewer devices need to be manufactured.
Resolution: less is more
The resolution of the video also has an impact on energy consumption and carbon footprint. According to a study by Bitkom, streaming with SD resolution on a smartphone, tablet or notebook, for example, requires significantly less energy than traditional television or playing a DVD on a larger flat-screen TV.
As a general rule, the lower the resolution of the video, the less energy is required for streaming. Especially on a smartphone or laptop with a small screen, a low resolution makes no recognisable difference. You can change the resolution in the settings as soon as you have started a film.
The brightness can also be reduced.
WiFi before mobile data
A study commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency has shown that transmission technologies cause different levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The lowest CO2 emissions are produced when video is streamed via a fibre optic connection. Transmission via a copper cable is also more economical than via a mobile network.
There are equally big differences in mobile phone networks. For example, data transmission using 5G technology consumes significantly less than transmission using UMTS (3G). So it’s best to watch films and videos via WiFi!
Deactivate autoplay
Websites such as Instagram and YouTube, as well as many media libraries, often play clips and videos automatically to keep us glued to the screen. This ‘unintentional’ streaming also drives up data traffic. We recommend switching off autoplay if possible!
Listen to music the better way
Even though music streaming requires less energy than video streaming, there are a few things that we can still adapt to reduce emissions with little effort.
Download songs
Download the songs and albums you listen to often to your library. This is more economical than streaming them every time.
No YouTube music
When you listen to music via the streaming service, a video is usually also played. This unnecessarily increases data transfer. The same applies to Spotify: you should also deactivate the video function here.
Use plugins
If a song or lecture is only available on YouTube or another video platform, you can use plugins such as YouTube Audio. This only streams the sound of the video.
Use ad blockers
What we actually want to see on social media and streaming platforms is constantly interrupted by advertising videos, which drive up CO2 emissions. This is where ad blockers come to the rescue. Effective apps such as the free open-source ad blocker uBlocks Origin do the trick.
Hidden ‘app gases’: this is how much power is consumed by trackers and advertising in our mobile phone apps
Apple heralded the age of mobile phone apps more than 15 years ago with the slogan ‘There’s an app for that’. However, a study from 2024 shows that mobile games, weather apps and the like often consume an unnecessary amount of energy through tracking and advertising. How can we reduce the digital carbon footprint of our smartphone apps?
Use alternatives
PeerTube and YouTube are both platforms for video streaming, but they work in fundamentally different ways. While YouTube is managed solely by Google, PeerTube is open-source software that belongs to all of us. This also makes it possible, for example, to provide a sustainable version of PeerTube on servers that run on green electricity. The platform also has a number of other sustainability benefits. Find out more here: Decentralised YouTube alternative PeerTube: More sustainable thanks to peer-to-peer?
How can we ensure a green digital future?
Growing e-waste, carbon emissions from AI, data centre water usage—is rampant digitalisation compatible with a healthy planet? Our latest project explores how digital tools and services can be developed with sustainability in mind.
Less binge, more appreciation
Sustainable streaming is also about changing our relationship with digital content. Instead of diving into a frenzy of images, we can slow down our own media consumption. Less binge, more appreciation!
Need help with this? The One Sec app intervenes in our bad habits and the mechanisms that platforms use to get our attention.
In addition, everyone can still do ‘the usual’, as Maria Zeitz from the ‘Green Streaming’ project calls it. “Drive forward the energy transition and vote in favour of a sensible climate policy by purchasing genuine green electricity.”
