Porn Gives Rise to Hot, Hot, Hot Climate Change [PHIL-OSOPHY]

What’s another word for global warming, climate change, climate crisis and climate emergency? According to the French think-tank The Shift Project, it is pornography!

And no, it’s not because excessive heavy breathing is making the planet warmer.

In a report published by The Shift Project, it says pornography makes up 27 percent of all videos viewed online. To me, that seems like a low number, but their point is that digital technology has a real environmental impact.

That 27 percent translates into just under 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, or as much as entire countries like Kuwait or Belgium release into the environment. Video-on-demand services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and others, are said to generate the same volume of greenhouse gas as the entire economy of Chile. Meanwhile, watching adult movies has an invisible environmental impact, and every year it’s growing because computers are consuming nine percent more energy as new people around the globe start using computers.

In other words, the more computers in use, extra adult videos will be viewed, producing additional carbon dioxide associated with digital technologies. And speaking of words, I don't think digital sobriety will go over big. Do you?

So there you have it, folks. Supplement this steamy chapter to the climate emergency debate, and for the sake of the environment, I do hope people around this heated globe start using their imagination a lot more.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.