Have you ever wondered the environmental impact of using the internet or mobile phone? Well, according to a new study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, data centers and smartphones will be the most polluting information and communication technologies in 2040.
The researchers, from the School of Engineering and Technology at McMaster University (Canada), studied the carbon footprint of different devices: mobile phones, laptops and desktops, tablets , etc. In addition, they analyzed the impact of data centers, those physical places that process all the information and on which we depend to make the internet work.
“Behind every text message we send, every phone call, every video we download, there is a data center making this possible. Telecommunication networks consume a lot of energy, they feed on electricity that is still being generated by the burning of fossil fuels. It is an invisible energy consumption for us ”, explains Lotfi Belkhir, main author of the work.
Mobile phones, the most polluting
The result surprised them, as they found that the carbon emissions that come from both the use and the production of information technologies are significantly higher than previously thought. “If the trend continues, in 2014 these technologies will be responsible for 14% of the ecological footprint , which is almost half of the impact of transport globally,” warns Belkhir.
Of all the devices, it seems that in 2020 the most damaging to the environment will be smartphones . And it is that, although much energy is not required for its daily use, it is well known that its production has high social and environmental costs. It takes a lot of energy to make a mobile phone, and also the use of rare minerals with expensive extraction processes such as coltan, gold and tugnsten .
Another added problem lies in the obsolescence of these products: their short life forces the user to change their mobile phone every two years at most, which is why more and more waste is generated and companies manufacture more and more phones. As a result, “around the year 2020 the energy consumption of smartphones will be much higher than that of computers”, the researcher emphasizes.
Sustainable solutions
Stop using technology? This is an unrealistic alternative. Although nothing is absolutely necessary and essential, of course, doing without the internet or mobile phone is quite complicated in our current work and personal environment. But ways can be found to minimize the impact of telecommunications.
“Data centers could start running on renewable energy,” suggests Belkhir. “The good news is that large companies like Facebook or Google have already announced that they will make this transition in their data centers. But there needs to be legislation that obliges everyone to do so ”.
On a personal level, initiatives can also be taken to minimize the impact on our use of communication networks : is it really necessary to download that viral video that they have sent you on WhatsApp and that you know you will never see? Do you need to change your mobile phone as soon as the battery starts to last less, or when it just runs a little slower?
Another option is to look for devices that are manufactured with environmental criteria. In the world of mobile telephony, the available option is the Fairphone. Its developers try to control all steps in production, from the extraction of raw materials in the mines to the assembly of its parts. In addition, it is a modular phone with replaceable parts: for example, when the battery deteriorates, it is not necessary to change the mobile phone, simply replace it. In this way, the useful life of the device is lengthened and its ecological footprint is reduced. One more step than necessary if we want to walk towards a sustainable future.
