The real problem with your Netflix addiction? The carbon emissions | Arwa Mahdawi

Questions are being asked about the energy consumption of streaming services - which is why we should all pay more attention to our digital footprint

Binge-watching Netflix doesn't just fry your brain; it may also be frying the planet. The streaming service's global energy consumption increased by 84% in 2019 to a total of 451,000 megawatt hours - enough to power 40,000 average US homes for a year.

Netflix disclosed these figures in its inaugural environmental, social and governance report, noting it matched 100% of its 2019 non-renewable power use "with renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets". While these may help the brand, they don't address the inconvenient fact that our love of streaming has unfortunate side-effects - most of which we are only starting to comprehend.