The environmental cost of technology

By Ivan Chen

While technology has immensely benefited society, its development and use have major impacts on the environment. (Credit: Fauno/Pixabay)

​Advancements in technology have profoundly transformed society. Humans are more interconnected than ever before through various means of communication, such as video and phone calls, social media and instant messaging. Technology has also made education and learning resources more accessible. 

However, despite technology’s many advantages, it carries significant environmental costs. From massive, energy-hungry data centres that house and power the digital world, to growing mountains of electronic waste, the environmental footprint of technology is becoming harder to ignore.

Environmental impacts

The lifecycle of many technological devices — from raw material extraction, to consumer use and eventual disposal — has implications for the environment. Resources like cobalt and lithium are necessary for the production of goods like phones, computers, electric vehicles and solar panels. Demand for cobalt and lithium is surging due to the global push for renewable energy and digital connectivity. 

However, the extraction process of these resources takes a toll on the environment. The Democratic Republic of Congo mines most of the world’s cobalt, producing over 70 per cent of global output. The country has seen significant deforestation and water contamination from dust and debris as a result of cobalt mining. High concentrations of cobalt have also been linked to crop damage and declining soil quality. Similar issues can be found in the extraction of lithium.

Depending on the extraction method, large areas of land have to be cleared for open-pit lithium mining. Brine mining, on the other hand, requires millions of litres of water to pump underground, lithium-rich brine up to the surface, which is then evaporated in large artificial ponds to remove the lithium. Chemical solutions may also be used to extract lithium from ore, but they risk seeping into soil and water sources. 

These processes are highly disruptive to wildlife and the environment. Unless steps are taken to mitigate these problems, the impacts could be intensified as the need for technology continues to increase.

The environmental impact of using technology often goes unnoticed by many. Just about all digital activities — asking ChatGPT for homework help, playing video games, streaming movies, sending emails and attending video calls — affect the environment through their reliance on data centres and data transmission networks. These systems keep the digital world running by storing, processing and transmitting data, but they also use a lot of electricity, much of which is still generated from fossil fuels. 

According to the International Energy Agency, data centres and data transmission networks each accounted for nearly 1.5 per cent of global electricity use in 2022. Data centres worldwide are projected to emit 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, led by Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft. 

In addition, many data centres use significant amounts of water to cool down electrical components. In the United States, estimates suggest that about 64 billion litres of water were used in 2023 for cooling purposes; that’s expected to double or even quadruple by 2028. Demand for energy, natural resources and digital infrastructure is only expected to grow in the coming years, especially with rapid developments in fields like artificial intelligence. 

The environmental toll doesn’t end when devices stop working. Electronic waste (e-waste) is a rapidly growing stream of solid waste. Commonly discarded items include computers, mobile phones, household appliances and medical equipment. In 2022, around 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally, and only about 22 per cent of that was properly collected and recycled. 

E-waste is often illegally transferred to Global South countries that lack appropriate regulations and enforcement, recycling infrastructure and training. This leads to e-waste being commonly dumped on land or into water bodies, thrown into landfills along with regular waste or incinerated. 

This improper handling of e-waste releases toxic pollutants, like lead, dioxins and mercury, that can contaminate soil, air and water. If current trends continue, global e-waste is projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030, while recycling rates could fall to 20 per cent. 

Summary

Technology has major environmental costs that extend throughout every stage of its life. The resource extraction process damages ecosystems, everyday use and the operations of digital networks consume vast amounts of energy and the disposal of devices leaves behind considerable amounts of toxic waste. 

At the same time, technology has transformed the way humans live — for the better, in many ways. Technology is one of society’s best hopes for solving these very problems, especially if it is used differently. 

The world is only going to become more digital, so innovation and progress must go hand in hand with sustainability if technology is going to serve both society and the planet. There are steps that individuals can take as well. We should utilize the devices and technology we already own, repair them when necessary, buy secondhand and dispose of them at recycling centres where available.

The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association Waste Reduction Group’s REmarket event has a partnership with Renewed Computer Technologies (RCT), where people can drop off e-waste to be refurbished or recycled. These small steps ensure technology is sustainably used in our day-to-day lives.

Edited by Jess Blackwell