(Non)Knowing the Environmental Impact of Video Streaming: Complexity, Transparency, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting

Abstract

This article explores the environmental impact of video streaming by examining the incongruent emissions figures presented in various white papers and corporate sustainability reports. Investigating how emissions data are produced, it addresses the complexity of impact assessment and analyzes how these data are used in corporate sustainability reports. The article highlights the creation of opacity and nonknowing surrounding the environmental impact of video streaming, arguing that these practices ultimately serve corporate interests and reinforce power dynamics related to who has access to this knowledge and who remains uninformed.