How BTS and Blackpink Spotify streams add to climate-change problem – the energy used generates annual carbon emissions so big, whole forests need planting to offset them

Streaming music produces carbon emissions. In K-pop’s case, 2021’s top songs on Spotify, all by BTS and Blackpink, require 760,000 trees planting to offset them

K-pop fans often plant trees to celebrate their idols’ birthdays, but the scale of this task is beyond them and needs to involve streaming platforms

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

BTS. Their single Dynamite alone generated 3,600 tonnes of carbon emissions just from its Spotify streams in 2021. The popularity of K-pop is contributing to climate change. Photo: @bts.bighitofficial /Instagram

Tamar Herman

Published: 7:15pm, 6 Jan 2022Updated: 12:21pm, 7 Jan 2022

Corrected [12:13pm, 7 Jan, 2022]

[12:13pm, 7 Jan, 2022]
To clarify, streaming of music by artists in all genres generates carbon emissions. We have added some examples for comparison.

In the world of streaming, your favourite K-pop artist’s songs may be fuelling carbon emissions.

Between mass streaming and growing album sales, both of which are great for artists but less so for the environment under current modes of consumption because of the energy they use, K-pop fans and artists alike are increasingly engaging with conversations about climate change.

In 2021, BTS spoke about taking climate action at the United Nations, while Blackpink were named advocates of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The fan-run activist group K-pop4Planet also kicked off last year, trying to raise awareness of climate action; fans of K-pop stars have a long history of planting forests to mark the birthdays of their favourite stars and other special occasions.

But with more music being consumed than at any time in history, hitting it big on streaming platforms also means hitting it big in energy consumption. That applies as much to K-pop performers as to those of any other musical genre.

A chart showing the top 10 K-pop songs on Spotify in 2021, as well as their environmental impact and the cost to offset the carbon emissions produced by streaming energy.

Though no individual music listener’s impact is typically that intense, the popularity of certain artists and songs on streaming platforms like Spotify result in immense energy consumption, as does common K-pop fandom behaviour that promotes mass streaming to boost the chart rankings of artists.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x