- Everyone seems to be going net-zero lately,
but what does net-zero even mean?
- If you had a seesaw,
you're bringing the seesaw into balance
and arriving at the point of net-zero,
which is what the atmosphere calls for.
- To properly explain and break down the concept
with actual everyday examples that are relevant to you,
like how much CO2 is submitted
while binging your favorite TV show?
I spoke to Emma Stewart,
Netflix's sustainability officer.
(gentle music)
Net-zero is basically creating a balance
between the greenhouse gases we put in the atmosphere
and the CO2 we take out,
but it helps you think about it in three Rs,
reduce, retain, and remove,
- You want to reduce your own emissions,
ideally, in line with what the climate science
is calling for, which is our plan.
- So how does a giant company like Netflix,
or even an individual like you and I,
actually getting to net-zero?
Well, you do it in scopes.
The first scope is the easiest to digest.
It examines the sorts of fuels you combust.
So basically looking at any fuel-based appliance you own,
like your stove or your car,
and replacing it with an electric one.
Netflix calls this step electrifying fuels.
For a company like Netflix, its solutions are similar
to a consumer's, but at a much larger scale.
- For Netflix, the equivalent there
is we're electrifying, where we can,
the vehicles that we use for cast and crew.
And we are trying where possible to find alternatives
to diesel generators.
(gentle music continues)
- Now that we've established switching
from gas to electricity, we enter Scope 2,
which focuses on determining
how clean the electricity you're using actually is.
Netflix calls this optimizing energy.
So let's say you switch all your gas appliances to electric.
Now you have to take it one step further
and make sure the electricity it runs on is coming
from renewable energy sources and not fossil fuels.
Scope 2 also calls for switching all your lights
to LED lighting
and purchasing appliances that are energy efficient.
At the end of the day,
these last two save you energy and money.
For big companies,
it's more than just replacing its lights, though.
- The Netflix equivalent to that might be something like,
well with our productions,
we try and use local crews,
that has, of course, a job generation benefit locally.
But it also means we're not flying people in
from all parts of the planet to do a job
that ideally someone locally would have.
Another example is we're using LED lighting
wherever possible in our productions.
Not only is that 75% more efficient
than a conventional light bulb,
it doesn't generate waste heat.
So then, we're not having to cool the space.
So we're saving more energy,
and talent love it because it doesn't melt your makeup.
So it's kind of a win-win.
- Obviously, these kinds of changes are easier said
than done for people like you and me.
It can either be too expensive or simply not accessible,
but if you are able to make the switch,
every little change helps make an impact,
and if you can't do all of it,
you can take this information to spread awareness
and put pressure on companies
and governments that actually have the resources
to make positive impacts at a larger scale.
(gentle music continues)
And lastly, Scope 3 is pretty much everything
that happens through third parties and out of your control,
public transportation, waste disposal,
purchased goods and services,
the food you eat, et cetera.
This is the hardest scope to take control off
or even keep track up.
Let's take waste disposal for example,
you can control how much trash you generate,
but you cannot control the amount of diesel burned
by the garbage truck that picks up your trash.
So at that point, the responsibility
is on the city to electrify its fleet of garbage trucks,
so it can be truly a sustainable system
from beginning to end,
but that's what's so hard about this scope.
You have to do extensive research
to know if the bus you're riding, the food you're eating,
or the clothes you're wearing are truly sustainable,
and make sure you're purchasing goods
from companies that are truly committed
to their net-zero goals.
For Netflix, it's the same.
The company tries to work directly with its suppliers
to make sure they are hitting their net-zero targets
before Netflix can subtract them from their Scope 3.
- We have suppliers
who have pretty robust renewable energy targets.
We wanna feel very sure
that they are hitting those targets
and that they are retiring those credits
before we subtract them from our Scope 3.
And that's how it should work.
We should work with our suppliers to encourage them
to reduce their Scope 1 and their Scope 2.
And when they've done that successfully
and they can prove it, that reduces our Scope 3.
- But what about those emissions
you simply cannot account for it?
Well, that's when you decarbonize the rest,
according to Emma, meaning going solar,
buying green energy through your utilities provider
or buying carbon offsets when you fly.
- The Netflix equivalent of that
is we have purchased renewable energy credits
for 99.9% of our electricity around the world.
There was one location where we weren't able
to secure those credits.
And now, we are looking at green tariff programs
in the utilities where we don't have them yet operational,
and potentially investing directly
in renewable energy projects.
- Now, if you're wondering what all this has to do with you,
it's more than you think.
Everyday we do things that have a carbon footprint,
meaning they cause greenhouse gas emissions,
things like binge-watching all of "Bridgerton"
in just one sitting, which if you're following along,
falls under Scope 3.
- Generally speaking, well below 100 grams
of greenhouse gases per viewing hour.
So what does that mean?
That's equivalent to roughly driving
a combustion vehicle 1/4 mile.
For those who don't own a combustion vehicle
or don't operate in miles,
I could go about a block and a half here in San Francisco
on that amount of carbon.
- But we're not telling you this to make you feel guilty
or to make you stop watching TV.
We need the escapism.
It's just to bring awareness to the connection
between TV and greenhouse gas emissions.
Think about it this way, behind every hour of TV,
there's an entire production with a huge carbon footprint.
Sure, there are steps we all can take us individuals.
However, the onus is not on you,
but on companies like Netflix,
which are now realizing the problem
and trying to do something about it.
Netflix, for one, announced in March
that it will become net-zero by the end of 2022.
Now, that sounds ambitious,
but according to Emma, the company is making stride.
- Well, so we as Netflix are somewhat late
in setting a climate target,
but we decided we want to ground everything
in the science and move at the speed
that the science tells us is necessary.
And we'll do that
by first tackling our own internal emissions
and putting them on a diet, as it were,
in line with the climate science to keep global warming
to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius,
the goals of the Paris Agreement.
And then, we will invest in the incredible power of nature
to retain and remove carbon from the atmosphere.
And these can be natural ecosystems like mangroves
or forests that have been doing this
and stabilizing the climate for millions of years.
- Again, net-zero might seem like an ambitious goal,
but it's something we should all try doing
to help mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
It also helps take the guilt out
of doing mundane things like watching a TV show.
- Yeah, for an individual,
if you wanted to set your own net-zero target
which I think would be incredible,
you'd want to reduce your carbon footprint
using the three categories I just laid out.
What you eat, how you power your home,
and how you get around.
And then, you could buy carbon offsets
that retain or remove carbon from the atmosphere.
And you can do that through nature,
like Netflix is doing currently,
you can also invest in more novel
and often higher-cost projects, like direct air capture,
but there are tons of ways
to find those projects through brokers.
And so, that's how you
could bring your own footprint to zero.
- So now that you know what that's zero is
and how to achieve it, what's your target?
(upbeat music)