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Digital

Streaming video for 1 hour (HD)

Videon suoratoisto 1 tunti (HD)

0.1
Truecost score
Data confidence: HIGH

Carbon well-established after IEA corrections. Original 2019 Shift Project estimates were ~50x too high.

One hour of HD streaming consumes about 0.08 kWh total, producing ~36g CO₂.

Did you know? IEA revised streaming estimates downward by ~50x from initial 2019 figures.
Transparent calculation

How was this number determined?

The Truecost score is calculated from absolute physical values. Each row below shows the measured value, how it was normalized, and where it comes from.

Dimension Absolute value Score 100 = Normalized Weight Weighted Confidence
Carbon Emissions 0.036 kg CO₂e 9.5 kg CO₂e 0.38 ×0.35 0.13 HIGH
Water Consumption 0.5 liters 3840 liters 0.01 ×0.2 0.00 MEDIUM
Land Use 0.0 m²·year 51 m²·year 0.0 ×0.2 0.00 HIGH
Waste 0.0 kg 5 kg 0.0 ×0.15 0.00 HIGH
Toxicity 0.0 µDALY 162 µDALY 0.0 ×0.1 0.00 HIGH
Truecost score (weighted sum) 0.1

Share of your annual planetary budget

Carbon Emissions <0.01%
Water Consumption <0.01%
Source data by dimension

Where do the absolute values come from?

Carbon Emissions
HIGH
IEA revised (2022): ~80 Wh total (data center + CDN + network + device). 0.08 kWh × 450 g/kWh (global grid avg) = 36g
  • IEA (2022): The carbon footprint of streaming video — fact sheet
  • Kamiya/IEA (2020): Factcheck — carbon footprint of streaming Netflix

IEA revised Shift Project's 2019 estimates downward by ~50x. Corrected figure well-established.

Water Consumption
MEDIUM
Data center WUE × electricity. 0.08 kWh × ~6 L/kWh (full chain) ≈ 0.5L
  • Li et al. (2023): Making AI Less Thirsty (WUE methodology)
Land Use
HIGH
Negligible for 1 hour streaming
Waste
HIGH
No physical waste
Toxicity
HIGH
No measurable toxicity

Comparisons

Methodology

IEA estimate of 80Wh/hour streaming. CO₂ at global average 450g/kWh grid intensity.

Sources