Always considering the planet? (Not related to todays discussion group, just a though I had throughout writing)

 With all the talk about the digital world in Module 1 I found myself wondering: how our digital carbon footprint impacts the environment? This is a tricky one and I could have devoted days, months and years to in depth research. However time is against me so I read as much as I could in a short space of time and came up with the following thoughts :

Digitalisation is heavy on energy and is resource intensive. It comes with a gob smacking carbon footprint. A study from the Shift Project found that our use of digital technologies now actually cause more Co2 emissions than the entire aviation industry! (According to the experts the share of the global Co2 emissions from 2013-2018 increased from 2.5% to 3.7%) I find this staggering, even though we can't see it, can it really be ignored?

Without decisive political action the digital revolution is set to increase our consumption of resources and energy and accelerate the damage we are doing to our planet and our climate. But this has to come from policies and regulations at an international level and these need to be respected. The facts are there; we need sustainable digitalization and this is only possible if we continue to find solutions for optimizing our energy use and energy sources. The manufacturers need to make ethical technology that takes care of it's society and the environment. Consumers need to then support them by making the right choices. It really is an urgent political and social priority but one too big for me to get my head around!?

 



"While Silicon Valley is already working on microchips implants that, once planted under the skin, will give us automatic access to the digital world, right now we still rely on smartphones, tablets, computers and other smart gadgets - and a lot of them. Our obsession with electrical gadgets is responsible for the fastest growing portion of the world's garbage problem. According to statistics from the UN, an estimated 50 million tons of electronic waste are generated worldwide each year - and the trend is rising." 

Authors: Sheena Stolz and Sarah-Indra Jungblut / RESET Editorial (August 2019)
Translated by Marisa Pettit (August 2019)




  I find this a scary thought!!!




References

https://en.reset.org/knowledge/our-digital-carbon-footprint-whats-the-environmental-impact-online-world-12302019

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/01/04/arts-organizations-and-digital-technologies/

https://www.wired.com/story/global-internet-access-dire-reports/





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