Your Netflix habit has a carbon footprint, but not a big one

Streaming shows online has a smaller carbon footprint than some past estimates show, according to new studies by Enviromental groups. — REUTERS

Streaming your favourite hour-long television show is the environmental equivalent of boiling a kettle for six minutes or popping four bags of popcorn in the microwave, according to an industry-backed study from climate group Carbon Trust.

The findings are encouraging to researchers — and good news for streamers such as Netflix Inc., which helped fund the work — because they show the carbon footprint of streaming is smaller than some estimates in the past showed. Further, the study revealed ways in which entertainment companies can cut the emissions their products generate.