"E-cofriendly" by Gabby S.
Many people think that technology will be the solution to environmental struggles in the world. Although it is true that advanced technology does play a very important role in decreasing the effect that humans have on the environment, it is not as innocent as it seems. Technology has many negative effects on the world and its consumption of energy and resources. In 2000, there were about 415,000 internet device devices in the world. In 2016, that number had grown to 3.5 million. That is an 826% increase in only 16 years. The amount of technology and energy being used has significant impacts on the environment.
Techno-trash is a term that refers to the outdated technology that, once it is replaced by something better, will have no use anymore. 5% of all solid waste that we throw out is this outdated technology. We throw out 20-50 million tons of techno-trash every year. The US produced 3.41 million tons of this ourselves in 2011! Inconceivable amounts of techno-trash are being discarded as soon as the next best thing comes along, and with techno-giants like Apple and Samsung continuing to produce at least one new product every year, this number is sure to only increase.
The amount of energy needed to build these devices and machines is enormous. An average computer (including monitor) takes about 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 1.5 tons of water, and 48 pounds of chemicals to make. A study from United Nations University shows that about 81% of the energy used in the lifespan of an average computer is in production alone. This means that it doesn’t matter if you only use your laptop once a day for 20 minutes, you will still be outputting a large environmental impact. We may not see these effects in our country, but that is because 50-80% of all toxic waste is imported to other third world countries for “recycling”. This critally harms the environment and health of the people living in those less developed countries.
Is the amount of waste and energy worth the technology that we gain from it? What are some possible solutions to the amount of waste that is created from technology?
Techno-trash is a term that refers to the outdated technology that, once it is replaced by something better, will have no use anymore. 5% of all solid waste that we throw out is this outdated technology. We throw out 20-50 million tons of techno-trash every year. The US produced 3.41 million tons of this ourselves in 2011! Inconceivable amounts of techno-trash are being discarded as soon as the next best thing comes along, and with techno-giants like Apple and Samsung continuing to produce at least one new product every year, this number is sure to only increase.
That’s only talking about the solid waste that technology leaves behind after a year or two of glory. Technological gadgets contain a plethora of heavy metals and toxins in their circuit boards. When these devices are discarded into a landfill, their toxins can seep into the ground or be burned off into the atmosphere, and by consequence, enter the freshwater or oxygen supply. 88% of the children living in Giuyu, China, the largest e-waste site on Earth as of 2013, have been tested and found to have dangerously high Blood Lead Levels. This is because the method of getting plastic separated from valuable copper wires in this e-waste town is to burn them off. Other methods of breaking down devices to recycle their parts are chemically harmful. Hydrochloric acid is commonly used to strip away gold and other valuable elements from circuit boards. This chemical is harmful to those who inhale or ingest it, both of which have a high probability of happening in a recycling plant.
Is the amount of waste and energy worth the technology that we gain from it? What are some possible solutions to the amount of waste that is created from technology?
BI4ALL. “The Impact of Technologies on the Environment.” BI4ALL, 4 June 2019, www.bi4all.pt/en/news/en-blog/the-impact-of-technologies-on-the-environment/.
“Technology Depleting Resources and Pollution.” Digital Responsibility, 2019, www.digitalresponsibility.org/technology-depleting-resources-and-pollution.
This makes me think differently about the word "recycling." I would like to know how the average production of one computer can lead to the consumption of so many resources. The waste and energy is worth it for the technology because it leads to business opportunites and keeps the world going. I cannot come up with any solutions to this problem without investigating why so many resources are being used in the first place. Most likely, in order to lower the environmental impact, the prices of technology would also need to increase.
ReplyDeleteI've always assumed recycling computer parts would be easy. This is very informative to me. How does the production of a computer take so many fossil fuels? It seems like 530 pounds is very excessive. If it takes so much energy, there has to be a way to make it more efficient. Is that a problem that can be solved by using renewable energy or is there a specific reason that fossil fuels are used? If that's a solution to the problem, the price of computers will definitely rise. I think computers will never go away now that we all use them. We'll need to find a way around the fossil fuel use.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting issue to say the least. When people think of pollution and issues with waste they typically think of trash and plastics that pollute our world. I never fully realized that techno-trash was such a large issue. I definitely think that the disposal of technology could be handled a lot better than it currently is. Almost every single element that goes into making computers and related technology can be recycled. Metals such as aluminum, copper, gold, and platinum can easily be melted down and reused. Plastics can be easily shredded and recycled. In addition, silica from computer circuit boards can be reused as well. The issue with the reuse of these items is the cost to process them. For many companies it is cheaper just to use new resources to make technology than to recycle old ones for their resources. In addition, if companies begin to recycle more old products then the prices of their new ones will increase. What first must be solved is the cost issue of recycling. If recycling became much cheaper, then it would be just as cost effective to reuse old technology for its resources as it would be to use new resources.
ReplyDelete