Definition
Digital pollution refers to all forms of pollution caused by new technologies, whether it be greenhouse gas emissions, chemical pollution, erosion of biodiversity, or even production of electronic waste. We will now deep dive into all of the main aspects that contribute to the huge carbon footprint that technology has.
Manufacturing of digital tools
As of today, 93% of French households own a television. A television requires 2.5 tons of raw materials to be built, and generates 350 kg of CO2. In other words, a TV emits as much CO2 as a Paris-Nice round trip by plane — and that’s before it’s been used at all.
Digital pollution generated by streaming
Video consumption may seem like a harmless activity, but it is also very energy-intensive. The main cause of this is the weight of the files. Much heavier than a simple image, videos require much more energy to store on servers. For example, the film Ready Player One in very high resolution on Netflix weighs two hundred thousand times more than an email. To put this into perspective, 10 hours of high-definition film contain more data than all of the Wikipedia pages in English.
Consequently, video streaming accounts for 60% of data flows on the Internet.
Global video streaming consumption alone emits 300 million tonnes of CO2 worldwide each year. This corresponds to the digital pollution of a country like Spain! Watching an hour of Youtube videos uses as much electricity as a refrigerator for a year. Was that video really worth it?
Digital pollution generated by emails
Although emails really facilitate communication, their constant use does not go without any consequences for the environment. If it is accompanied by a 1 MB attachment, an email emits 19 g of CO2. Considering that 34 million emails are sent every hour (excl. spam), the consequences become devastating, amounting to an equivalent of 14 tonnes of oil.
Quick tip: use a mailbox cleaner to remove your unnecessary newsletters.
Digital pollution generated by data centres
Taking the example of France, 10% of all electricity produced is consumed by data centres. Their consumption is equal to a city of 50 000 people. They consume huge amounts of energy mainly to refrigerate these centres and to prevent them from overheating.
But, how can we reduce our digital pollution?
1. Stop buying the newest technology
Manufacturers of computer terminals (computers, tablets, smartphones, TVs) rely on the limited lives of their products to force our hand into buying new ones. If your device is broken, try to fix it. If you cannot, buy from second-hand, low tech stores. Aim to purchase reconditioned appliances (cheaper and less polluting) as well as products with a reduced energy consumption.
2. Videos: Limiting Very High Definition
Videos in very high definition generate pollution not only by requiring the acquisition of larger and more complex screens (thus more polluting) but also by requiring more energy to be read. Avoid 4K and 8K TVs. If you are watching a video on your mobile phone, a resolution of 240 pixels will probably be enough. If you’re watching a series on your laptop, 720 pixels should do the trick.
3. Other Tips
Turn off your internet box at night and during your absences. These devices consume a lot of electricity, even when you are not using the Internet. Their annual consumption is between 150 and 300 kWh, which equals the consumption of a large refrigerator.
Written in February 2022 © Your Green Footprint
It is a really good article. I learned many interesting facts about digital footprint.