Digital Pollution: Causes and Solutions
One of the lesser known forms of pollution, digital pollution relates to the environmental effects due to electronic devices. As our society continues to grow and rely on technology, we will need to better understand the causes and how we can reduce the damage of digital pollution. The roots of digital pollution can be split into two main factors: the production of devices and the usage of the internet.
The more obvious source of harm to the environment is observed through the manufacturing and disposal of devices. Improperly disposed of devices such as laptops can leach metals—such as the infamously poisonous mercury—into soils and bodies of water, causing irreversible damage. In 2019, Global E-waste Monitor reported the discarding of 53.6 million tonnes of electronics
While E-waste and the manufacturing of devices account for about 80% of digital pollution’s impact, a more discrete form of this pollution exists in our everyday habits: the usage of the internet. In this modern world, sending emails, surfing the web, and streaming movies are regarded as essential. Every time we perform a task using the internet, somewhere, a data centre uses a little bit of energy. This use of energy quickly adds up when we consider the over 250 billion emails sent and the 8.5 billion google searches done on a daily basis. As well to the energy needed to support our growing digital population, data centres are prone to overheat which means we use energy to power cooling systems such as air conditioning.
Just by using our technology, we produce the same amount of carbon as the airline industry. By 2025, this carbon footprint is expected to double. Indeed, digital pollution is responsible for about 3.8% of greenhouse gases. However, when it comes to the environment, we can’t ignore the tremendous benefits of having access to the internet. We are able to spread information, set up charities online, and connect to people with alike interests. But how can we continue to take advantage of this tool while cutting down on pollution?
By adding small habits to our digital lives, we can help reduce the ramifications of digital pollution. A few easy things you can implement into your life include:
- Use an eco-conscious search engine such as Ecosia or OceanHero. These free search engines work as a more transparent and eco-friendly substitute to Google. Whether it be through planting trees, cleaning oceans, or using renewable energy, when it comes to environmental issues, there are certainly search engines that do it better than Google.
- Avoid the search engine: use the address bar. If there are websites that you frequent, save them to your bookmark or type into the URL address bar instead of typing it into the search engine itself. This saves energy and you get to your favourite websites faster.
- Up your email game! Old emails take up unnecessary space; delete emails that aren’t needed and unsubscribe from services you don’t actually pay attention to. A 1MB email produces about 3-4 grams of CO2e. Replace large attachments with hyperlinks.
- Only buy the tech you need. If your current devices still work fine, maybe you don’t need that new phone model with the extra camera. Or consider a more eco-friendly option. For example, a laptop uses 80% less energy than a desktop does.
- Lower your video resolution. When streaming videos, try swapping from HD to Standard definition. By doing this, you save about 152kg of CO2 annually (per hour of streaming each day)
Works Cited
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Molloy, Fran. “Digital Damage: Is Your Online Life Polluting the Planet?” Phys.org, Phys.org, 22 Aug. 2022, phys.org/news/2022-08-digital-online-life-polluting-planet.html.
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