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Insight and Technology

How binge-watching your favourite TV show is fuelling climate change

Streaming video services like Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+ are on the rise - but so are their carbon emissions

By Michael Le Page

12 November 2019

Neflix screen

Ooh, just one more episode? Maybe not …

Sedat Suna/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

ONCE, we had to wait to watch television programmes when they were broadcast. Now, video on demand is taking over. Globally, more than 600 million people subscribe to streaming services like Netflix, and so many services exist that it is hard to keep track. This month alone has seen the launch of Apple TV+ and Disney+.

This is great if you are excited about Jennifer Aniston’s return to the small screen, or the prospect of a Star Wars TV show, but it isn’t so great when it comes to…

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