A joint venture of the University of Glasgow and the University of Oslo found that the energy used to store and stream music is at least as harmful for the environment as their physical predecessors’ plastic waste. To measure and compare the effects the researchers translated the production of the physical media (such as records and CDs) and the generation of electricity into greenhouse gas equivalents. The greenhouse gas emissions produced by music streaming was far higher.
“Storing and processing music online uses a tremendous amount of resources and energy – which a high impact on the environment,” explains Dr Kyle Devine, Associate Professor in Music at the University of Oslo.
