If before reading this article you have sent at least one email with an attachment, you have released 50 grams of Co2 into the atmosphere. And if you are always on Facebook, you contribute 299 grams per year. And if you want to check this information on the web, each internet search weighs 0.2 grams. We must not be frightened but only become increasingly aware that our digital life – like the analog one – has a considerable ecological footprint, despite the fact that dematerialization induces the illusion that our behaviors have no consequences.
It is worth 4% of emissions
Information technology generates 4% of CO2 emissions globally and this figure is expected it will increase three times by 2025 compared to 2010 levels, according to estimates made in a recent report by Capgemini. Furthermore, it is estimated that IT alone in the business world by 2025 will have a carbon footprint equivalent to 463 million vehicles per year. A situation that has certainly accentuated with the explosion of digital, during the Covid pandemic. But a lot can be done right now by changing habits and approaches.
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The weight of data centers
One of the thorniest issues concerns data centers, where data is stored and processed: they consume from 10 to 50 times more energy per square meter compared to a traditional office. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers are responsible for about 1% of the world‘s energy demand. A figure that is expected to rise with the growth of the digital economy and the number of connected users. the good news is that major cloud operators are making large investments to improve efficiency and sustainability with renewables. Microsoft, for example, has announced a plan to switch to 100% renewables in its data centers by 2025. Amazon recently invested 6.5 gigawatts in wind and solar. Google has planned for 2030 to completely get rid of energy from fuel sources, which remains the same used in most data centers. Another important issue concerns the energy required for the functioning of the cooling systems. So for telecom company Verizon it used maching learning to manage cooling while saving 55 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year across its 24 data centers.
Disposal of devices: how to do?
Another issue concerns the environmental impact deriving from the production and disposal of electronic devices. L’metal extraction – moreover, a finite resource – used to produce smartphones, for example, is linked to the destruction of the environment and the exploitation of child and illegal labor. Furthermore, the costs related to fossil energies to produce the devices are added the equal costs for the use of the devices themselves. One strategy is to increase the life of the devices. Fairphone, for example, offers phones designed with modular components so that they can be easily repaired. Teracube, on the other hand, with a completely biodegradable casing, offers a 4 year warranty, compared to the traditional 18 months. Another pressing problem concerns the disposal of toxic substances devices that threaten the environment and health. Moreover, the annual volume of ewaste is estimated to grow to 74 million tons by 2030 (according to Global E-waste monitor 2020). Currently only 17.4% of electronic waste is recycled while it is estimated that the total value of the metals contained is around 57 billion dollars (of which only 10 are recovered through recycling).
Australia recovers precious metals
Gold, electrical conductors, rare metals: a hidden treasure in electronic devices that, in most cases, is lost. This is not the case in Australia, where what founder Veena Sahajwalla defines as an “urban mine” was created, a laboratory capable of disassembling and reusing the useful parts of smartphones, computers and televisions and recycling the others. Glass and plastic are melted and used in the ceramic industry and in 3D printing. In 2018, the Indian-born researcher, known worldwide for inventing green steel, launched the first microfactory at the Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (Smart) Lab at the University of New South Wales Kensington Campus. In his view, microfactories are the future of green manufacturing. These small plants will enable local communities to produce many of the materials and resources they need using resources derived from waste. This approach, in addition to being sustainable because it cuts the cost of transport, is disruptive compared to the classic vertical and centralized model.