In 2022, electronic trash will join the ranks of environmental challenges, making it more important than ever to be conscious of our actions’ good and bad effects. The pollution caused by metal mining makes this a crucial consideration. Both animals and the environment suffer, and it contributes to global warming. Below are some shocking facts.
E-waste production in 2019 was 53.6 million tonnes.
There was a rise of about 2 million metric tonnes from the previous year, which is equivalent to the mass of 200 Eiffel Towers.
At 23.9kgs per person, the UK generates over three times more magnetic electronic waste than the global average.
Landfills endanger adults and children.
It’s possible we don’t give much thought to an item’s final destination when we dispose of it. But in actuality, electronic waste dumped in landfills poses a health risk to the local population. Toxins can enter the body via the lungs, the skin, or the digestive tract, causing disease that can lead to permanent brain damage or even death.
Fifty tonnes of mercury are lost yearly.
By constantly mining the Earth for raw materials, we are depleting the supply from which we can fashion cutting-edge technological devices. Because of this, we should consider repairing and reusing electronic items before we throw them away and risk losing precious metals.
Global computing’s carbon footprint is bigger than previously estimated
According to a study by Lancaster University, information and communications technology, or ICT for short, is responsible for a greater share of greenhouse gas emissions than previously estimated.
This would include, for example, the emissions produced by makers of ICT components, or the emissions linked with the disposal of ICT products.
Scientists have previously pegged ICT’s share of greenhouse gas emissions at between 1.8% and 2.8%. But the latest findings suggest global computing is more likely responsible for between 2.1% and 3.9% of greenhouse gas emissions.
If the latest estimates are accurate, ICT would have a larger carbon footprint than the aviation industry, which is responsible for 2 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Previously, economists and other researchers have claimed advances in information and communications technologies will lead to efficiency gains across a variety of industry sectors.
Due to competition for limited resources, such as the rare earth metals required for solar panels, it is not enough to rely solely on renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions. Our behaviour with regards to consumption is has a far greater impact. Replacing an old inefficient/power hungry computer with the newest most efficient device on the market uses less energy, but nowhere near enough to compensate for the carbon emissions embodied in the new device.
The Bottom Line
Most business owners don’t know how to reduce e-waste by extending the life of equipment such as outdated computers and laptops and reducing consumption, and many choose to dispose of useful products instead of repairing and repurposing them. This is costly both in monetary and environmental terms.
Cognition Cloud is on a mission to SAVE the planet, SAVE money & REDUCE waste for businesses in the UK. Find out how you can re-purpose, re-use and extend the life of existing desktop hardware investments with Cognition Cloud’s desktop as a service for UK businesses.
With Cognition Cloud:
- There’s no need to buy brand-new PCs to upgrade to the newest operating system. You can increase your PC lifespan, even with the minimum spec required for a small business PC.
- You don’t need a high-spec computer even if you want to use graphic-intensive programmes.
- On-boarding new employees and removing IT access is simple, quick, and secure. A new user can be provisioned in as little as five minutes.
- You will save money and avoid waste by not replacing or disposing of your existing computers. To see how much money take a look at our handy calculators – https://cognition-cloud.com/save-money-and-reduce-emissions/
David is a co-founder of Cognition Cloud and is passionate about sustainability in IT. Always thinking about how IT solutions can be greener, more secure and more cost effective.
