Summary
TikTok’s annual carbon footprint likely exceeds 50 million metric tonnes of CO2e, comparable to Greece’s 2023 emissions of 51.67 million tonnes, according to an analysis by Greenly.
TikTok’s high emissions stem from its addictive platform, with users spending more time on the app than competitors like Instagram, resulting in higher emissions per user.
Despite a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030, TikTok lacks transparency, unlike other tech giants.
Uncertainty surrounds future emissions reporting as ByteDance faces potential forced sale to a non-Chinese entity by January 2025.
It’s like one third as much CO2 as a single container ship on the low end of container ship emissions and comparable to Facebook if you only count Facebook and not the metaverse, Instagram, Whatsapp or anything else Facebook owns and only if you believe the numbers published by Facebook.