In a blog about pollution from the entertainment industry, I would be remiss without talking about the center of entertainment: The Film & Television industry. This week’s Journal article “Production, policy, and power: the screen industry’s response to the environmental crisis” by Sørenson and Noonan (2022) looks at how pollutive the screen industry is at how they are attempting to ‘green up’ [1].
The featured journal article mentions how the entire ‘film’ industry is, in fact, underpinned by highly polluting and wasteful practices and a significant contributor to climate change with the average ‘tentpole’ blockbuster generating in excess of 2800 tonnes of CO2 during production alone.
Figure 1. Emissions by film production in tonnes of CO2 [1]
As seen from Figure 1, the amount of CO2 generated during a film production varies by genre and between stages of production, ranging from less than 1 tonne for a Sports broadcast to over 35 tonnes for a drama show.
The article notes the use of on-site diesel generators for production but does not detail how pollutive those can be. Diesel generators are noted to be extremely pollutive, producing PM2.5, PM10, and VOCs which I have consistently noted in prior articles as being extremely harmful to both humans and the environment [2]. Diesel generators are often used on set to generate the energy for film productions to power various departments like props, lighting, catering, and film equipment which consume roughly 20 gallons of diesel every 12 hours, emitting 12 kg of Carbon dioxide per gallon along with many carcinogens during their operation [3]. The exhaust from diesel generators contains other harmful environmental pollutants, including nitrogen oxide, currently the single most important ozone-depleting emission, and up to 70% of cancer risk attributable to the inhalation of toxic air pollutants in the United States arise from diesel exhaust, showing how harmful diesel exhaust is [4]. Given how pollutive diesel generators are, it is imperative the film industry turns away from them.
The article notes that initiatives aimed at assessing carbon emissions have been at the forefront of the industry’s response with various certification schemes cropping up to assess how environmentally friendly production is. Yet, it was also noted that these certifications are often box-checking processes that do not really bring about meaningful changes. There have been changes within the industry, with experts noting how alternative electric generators are growing in popularity which help reduce a product’s environmental emissions impact by around 15% [5]. While it is a change in the right direction, the industry should go much further in greening up.
The article notes how “the financial models which underpin screen production seem to be at odds with an ecologically sustainable way of operating” and this is the key reason why the industry is slow to act. Interestingly, profitability and sustainability do not have to be at odds, as the film industry could benefit fiscally by practicing sustainability. It has been noted that while implementing more fuel-efficient practices requires an upfront investment, it pays off in the long run with reduced bottom-line costs, with many groups seeing savings generated by sustainability efforts, and these savings could motivate film and TV companies to go green [6].
While it might take time, the industry is slowly working towards becoming more sustainable and reducing its pollutive impact on the world. As product consumers, we can do our part by advocating for change or supporting more ‘sustainable’ productions with our money.
– Lucian T. K.
References
[1] Sørensen, I. E., & Noonan, C. (2022). Production, policy and power: The screen industry’s response to the environmental crisis. Media, Culture & Society, 44(1), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437211065697
[2] Shakya, S. R., Bajracharya, I., Vaidya, R. A., Bhave, P., Sharma, A., Rupakheti, M., & Bajracharya, T. R. (2022). Estimation of air pollutant emissions from captive diesel generators and its mitigation potential through microgrid and solar energy. Energy Reports, 8, 3251–3262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2022.02.084
[3] Barnette, B. (2023, February 23). Diesel generators are one of the biggest non-sustainable culprits in the film industry!Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/diesel-generators-one-biggest-non-sustainable-film-blair-barnette
[4] Awofeso, N. (2011). Generator diesel exhaust: A major hazard to health and the environment in nigeria. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 183(10), 1437–1437. https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm.183.10.1437
[5] Kishan. (2021, October 7). Electric generators powering sustainable sets. Albert. https://wearealbert.org/2021/10/07/electric-generators-powering-sustainable-sets/
[6] Crittenton, A. (2021, September 20). And… Action! : Sustainability in hollywood is a problem | green america. https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/hollywood-sustainability-problem