The Swedish environmental professor will make Netflix climate-neutral

Tomorrow, Thursday, world leaders gather for a digital summit on the climate.

At the same time as country after country presents new targets for reducing emissions, companies and cultural actors have renewed their climate targets.

Among other things, the entertainment giant Netflix. 

- Netflix as a company has set very ambitious sustainability goals and set up a sustainability council, which will provide advice, guidance and monitoring for management.

I have been elected to the overall international sustainability council, says Johan Rockström, professor of environmental science at Stockholm University and head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), a center for climate and sustainability research. 

Climate neutral until the end of next year

The goal of becoming climate neutral by the end of next year will require effort.

Last year, Netflix emitted about 1 million tons of carbon dioxide, according to the company's own data.

All road traffic in Sweden emits approximately 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, in a normal year.

In addition, Netflix has not included all the power supply required for the world to continue watching the next episode of its favorite series. 

Is there a risk that you will become part of the Netflix PR campaign in an attempt to market yourself as more environmentally conscious?  

- The risk is always there.

It will be a great responsibility for me and the Sustainability Council to really be an external review party and to be a party that maintains our integrity, says Johan Rockström.

"All actors who produce film can get better"

In addition to the climate footprint itself, Netflix also plays a role, as a distributor of nature and climate impressions.

Films and series about climate and the environment seem to attract audiences.

100 million households, have seen the lavish David Attenborough series 

, since it was released in 2019.  

- I think that Netflix and all actors who produce film can get better and above all take the step from nature film as a basis and film more of the front in research and where are the solutions?

But if you watch Netflix's journey, my opinion is that you take big steps forward, says Johan Rockström.