What Are The Negative Impacts Of Technology On The Environment?
You may have never considered the environmental impact of using your phone or laptop. As you read this article, the internet generates a carbon footprint. Our devices may seem only to generate waste when we are done with their use and not sooner, but this is not true.
The processes behind each message sent and each social media post are numerous and complex. For example: did you know that each email sent generates roughly 1g of carbon emissions? Just imagine that impact daily per email sent, not to mention the time spent streaming music, gaming, editing or building websites.
It doesn’t sound like much per person until you consider how many people use the internet.
This article will show how our online lifestyle affects the environment and how you can reduce your internet carbon footprint with a few simple actions.
Why Does The Internet Have A Carbon Footprint?
The internet is a very complex industry. However, we can split these processes into the following categories:
Data Centres
Data centres work with computer systems that use vast amounts of energy and must be held at a constant temperature. Data centres have refrigeration systems that keep their temperature at 18ºC, generating vast amounts of energy. Air conditioning is required to stop the data systems from overheating as they operate 24/7.
Telecommunication Networks
So data comes to us and then it goes to data centres. The reason why we can transfer this data is that we are connected to the internet. And this connection requires telecommunication networks. These networks are built with large cables that we can find on roads, streets and even in the deep ocean. All these cables consume different materials and energy and need regular maintenance to work at 100%.
User Devices
User devices require energy to function (or charge) and demand different metals and materials during manufacturing.
According to a recent study, mobile devices use and manufacturing have the highest carbon footprint compared to data centres and telecommunication networks.
Mobile devices are the most significant contributors to the internet's carbon footprint.
Check out the following list of iPhone carbon emissions:
iPhone X: 79 kg of CO2
iPhone 8 Plus: 68 kg of CO2
iPhone 8: 57 kg of CO2
iPhone 7 Plus: 67 kg of CO2
iPhone 7: 56 kg of CO2
iPhone SE: 45 kg of CO2
iPhone 6S Plus: 63 kg of CO2
iPhone 6S: 54 kg of CO2
iPhone 6 Plus: 110 kg of CO2 (biggest footprint)
iPhone 6: 95 kg of CO2
iPhone 5S: 65 kg of CO2
CO2eq: considers all greenhouse gas emissions: CO2, CH4 & N2O. Here are some of these values (in grams of CO2eq):
One Email: 4g
One Email with attachment: 50g
One Tweet: 0.2g
We can compare these values to other daily activities to see how significant these emissions are.
For example, we can compare our internet use emissions to the emissions of driving 1 mile in an average-size car:
100 emails = 1-mile driving
8 emails with attachment = 1-mile driving
2000 tweets = 1-mile driving
Is The Situation Getting Worse With Time?
Fortunately, no. The total energy used by the telecommunication industry is going down. This situation is far from expected since the number of devices worldwide is increasing.
Two main facts explain this situation:
First, today devices charge and use energy much more efficiently than they did 10 or 20 years ago - just remember the TVs of the 90s that consumed large amounts of energy.
Today we use only one device (cellphone) for many functions that we used to have in several devices. For example, a calculator, flashlight, mp3, video player, phone, camera, and more can now be found in 1 smart device.
Final Thoughts
We all need to use the internet, especially when we travel or work from home. But it is essential to be mindful of how much energy we are generating and how we can reduce our negative impact on the environment.
One simple step is to switch your internet browser on your devices to a sustainable alternative such as Ecosia. Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees each time you access the internet. It’s free to use and you can see the positive impact you are having each time you browse.
Finally, take some time off your digital devices to reconnect with nature.
About the writer:
Belén Silva is a Chemical engineer from Argentina. She started her freelance writing and environmental consulting career after working in the automotive industry as an environmental engineer.
References
Malmodin, J., Lunden, D., “The Energy and Carbon Footprint of the Global ICT and E&M Sectors 2010–2015”, Sustainability, 2018.
Heddeghem, W.V., Lambert, S., Lanno, B., Colle, D., Pickavet, M., Demeester, P., “Trends in worldwide ICT electricity consumption from 2007 to 2012”, Computer communications, 2014.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3027
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as-you-think
https://www.climatecare.org/resources/news/infographic-carbon-footprint-internet/
https://sustainability.fb.com/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-iphone-x-environmental-report