Who could imagine that listening to our favorite song will be that impactful in the environment! All this consumed energy contributes to global CO2 emissions.
With the issues surrounding climate change being more prominent now than ever after the recent Climate Agreement, Uswitch found out the environmental cost of the world’s most popular songs. They revealed after investigating the carbon emissions of over 200 tunes based on Spotify data on play count, duration, and the total number of streams.
Top 10 most popular songs causing the most CO2 emissions according to the survey ‘Uswitch’ conducted are followed by-
| # | Song | Artist | Number of streams | Total carbon emissions (tons) | Trees needed annually |
| 1 | Heat Waves | Glass Animals | 842,133,398 | 3,072 | 128,019 |
| 2 | good 4 U | Olivia Rodrigo | 1,053,582,036 | 2,868 | 119,480 |
| 3 | Kiss Me More | Doja Cat (ft. SZA) | 857,843,096 | 2,735 | 113,948 |
| 4 | Beggin | Maneskin | 752,455,682 | 2,432 | 101,336 |
| 5 | Bad Habits | Ed Sheeran | 677,858,022 | 2,390 | 99,568 |
| 6 | MONTERO | Lil Nas X | 1,109,814,648 | 2,335 | 97,285 |
| 7 | Leave The Door Open | Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) | 628,987,635 | 2,326 | 96,935 |
| 8 | STAY | The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber | 1,066,974,185 | 2,312 | 96,315 |
| 9 | INDUSTRY BABY | Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow | 703,436,577 | 2,278 | 94,931 |
| 10 | Pepas | Farruko | 453,271,347 | 1,988 | 82,846 |
1. Heat Waves
Straight into number one is ‘Heat Waves’ by Glass Animals, producing 3,072 tons of carbon emissions with just over 128 thousand trees needed to absorb the output in one year.
2. Good 4 U
‘Good 4 U’ by Olivia Rodrigo misses the top spot with a total emissions count of 2,867 tons.
3. Kiss Me More
In third place by Doja Cat and featuring SZA is ‘Kiss Me More’ with 2,700 tons of emissions produced. Released in April 2021, the song requires almost 114 thousand trees to be planted to make up for the emissions caused.
4. Beggin
‘Beggin’ by Maneskin is next with 2,432 emissions and just over 100 thousand trees needed to counteract its impact. Initially recorded by the Four Seasons back in the ’60s, this version from Italian rock band Maneskin makes it a fourth place on our list.
5. Bad Habits
Famed for his auburn locks and songwriting skills, Ed Sheeran drops into the fifth position with ‘Bad Habits.’ Our research shows it has a total emissions count of 2,389 tons and over 99 thousand trees needed.
6. MONTERO
In sixth and seventh place, we have ‘MONTERO’ by Lil Nas X with 2,334 tons of emissions.
7. Leave The Door Open
‘Leave The Door Open’ by Silk Sonic produces 2,326 emissions.
8. Stay
Rocking into eighth place is ‘STAY’ by Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber; with over a billion views and 2,311 tons of CO2 emissions emitted, almost 97 thousand trees are needed to counteract its impact on the environment.
9. Industry Baby
‘INDUSTRY BABY’ (feat. Jack Harlow) by artist Lil Nas X, the second time he has appeared on this list, with a total emissions count of 2,278 tons and 95 thousand trees needed to be planted to absorb the emissions.
10. Pepas
The song causing the fewest emissions in our top 10 list is ‘Pepas’ by Farruko. The music has been played over 453 million times; almost half the play counts as our first place. Nearly two thousand tons of emissions and 83 thousand trees are needed to prevent the damage caused.
To know more, click here- https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/the-songs-that-have-caused-the-most-carbon-emissions/
