We are already living in a technologically advanced future, one which had been – with varying degrees of accuracy – hypothesised in science fiction media for decades before. From smartphones to smart homes, our lives are both governed and garnished by technology; with the knowledge, though, that technology has its own impacts on climate change, is this future a good one to aspire to? Here we will examine some of the ways in which tech is intertwined with the great challenge of our age.
Tech and Manufacture
Perhaps the most immediately-understood way in which technological advancement has negatively impacted the environment is through its manufacture. Industrial processes are already well-understood to be environmentally harmful, whether via by-products of material mining or chemical processing or via the vast consumption of fossil fuels. Tech products are not exempt from this liability, and indeed inherit a greater share of environmental responsibility through the materials required for their manufacture.
The biggest example of this is the rare-earth element (REE) mining undertaken in favour of electronic product manufacture. REE mining produces a huge amount of noxious, damaging and even radioactive by-products, harming those unfortunate enough to work them and also directly impacting the ecosystem around them. These localised elements are overshadowed by discussions of CO2 release, but no less important to consider.
Digital Eco-Inefficiency
Tangible ecological impacts are easier-understood by consumers, but the tech industry’s culpability for environmental issues does not stop with manufacture – or, indeed, even the logistics associated with packaging, marketing and delivering finished tech products. Software and digital processes are also extremely environmentally damaging, by token of requiring considerable energy resources.
A key instance of this presents in the form of blockchain technology – encrypted peer-to-peer networks which enable pioneering technologies from smart contracts to cryptocurrencies. The ‘work’ required to solve blocks for a given transaction is humungous, with the amount used to ‘mine’ Bitcoin having been compared to the energy demands of a small country. Regulations in the crypto and blockchain space are ever-changing, though, and new restrictions are expected to force change.
E-Waste
The end of a tech product’s life is just as pollutive as its beginning, as even complex electronic devices are increasingly treated as disposable. The most apparent iteration of this reality can be found in the new prevalence of single-use vapes, which feature rechargeable batteries and detector circuits all destined for landfill. The toxic materials used in battery and circuit manufacture can have extremely deleterious effects for local environments, and for human health where chemicals are exposed.
A Cleaner Techno-Future
The environmental impacts of technology feel all-but inevitable in a world now centred around tech-based convenience. While we are already existing in a time where technology touches every aspect of our lives, we can expect more tech integration in our future – which makes addressing these ecological issues all the more prescient now.
