LibGuides: Sustainability: Digital Carbon Footprints + E-waste

Digital Carbon Footprint + E-waste

Digital Carbon Footprint
E-waste

What is a digital carbon footprint?

The global use of Information and communications technologies (ICT) is rapidly and exponentially increasing. As reliance on internet and technology grows, so does the impact on the environment. These technologies are heavily dependent on energy, resulting in significant carbon emissions. There are two main factors that contribute to digital carbon footprints:

Manufacturing and shipping of hardware including devices and servers
Power and cooling required by hardware relies on electrical grids that can be powered by coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy sources

Photo showing a hallway with servers on either side

Photo by Ian Battaglia on Unsplash

How big is the digital/tech carbon footprint?

Steven Gonzales Monserrate reports that "the cloud now has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry. A single data center can consume the equivalent of fifty thousand homes." This was written in 2022, before the huge uptake in the use of AI, such as ChatGPT.

Digital Carbon Footprints, Environmental Racism + Colonialism

Digital infrastructures and hardware are reliant upon extracting resources from the earth. These materials include lithium, aluminum, copper, cobalt, zinc, steelmaking coal, uranium, and other mineral resources. These resources are taken from unceded Indigenous land. The extraction results in heavy pollution; destroys plants, water, medicines and ecosystems; and disproportionately affects the health and well-being of marginalized communities.

How can I minimize my digital carbon footprint?

Reduce streaming video and audio, downloading requires less energy,
Erase unnecessary data stored online. This can include old email accounts, unused blogs, Dropbox flles, Google Drive files
Delete emails and files regularly to reduce data storage
Swap large email attachments for links to documents when possible
Only send messages to multiple recipients when necessary
Unsubscribe from mailing lists you no longer read, especially media heavy lists
Save data to local devices, reduce reliance on cloud storage
Choose green cloud storage providers that use renewable energy sources
Shut down your computer when you aren't using it
Dim your monitor when possible
Block video autoplay in your internet browser
Use bookmarks - search engines rely on processing and contribute to your digital carbon footprint. Many search queries are used to navigate to websites that you frequently visit. For example, typing Emily Carr Library into the search bar to navigate to the site. Use bookmarks or autocomplete in the address bar to navigate to these sites instead.

Environmental Racism + Colonialism Resources

Gray, V., Gray, B., Yanchaoaxi, M.F., Bos, D.K., Murphy, D.M., Bedard, M.T. (Sept. 2023). Data colonialism in Canada's chemical valley: Aamjiwnaang First Nation and the failure of the pollution notification system. Yellowhead Institute. https://yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Data-Colonialism-YI-Special-Report-Sept-2023-3-compressed-1.pdf
Morin, B. (2023). In Nevada, Indigenous land protectors face off with a Canadian mining company. IndigiNews. https://indiginews.com/news/in-nevada-indigenous-land-protectors-face-off-with-a-canadian-mining-company

References

Berners-Lee, M. (2011). How bad are bananas? : the carbon footprint of everything. Greystone Books.
Krieger, S. (2021). What is your digital environmental footprint? https://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca/2021/04/20/guest-post-what-is-your-digital-environmental-footprint/
Monserrate, S. G. (2022). The Cloud Is Material: On the Environmental Impacts of Computation and Data Storage. MIT Case Studies in Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing, Winter 2022. https://doi.org/10.21428/2c646de5.031d4553

Intro

E-waste is a growing contributor to carbon emissions and climate change. Not only that, but it is intrinsically linked to carbon colonialism. Working to minimize consumption and the tech that we dispose of can be one step towards lowering impacts. Dumping e-waste can contaminate soil and water; deplete land resources; and cause serious health issues including cancers and infections.

What is e-waste?

E-waste is electronic waste, basically anything with a cord or battery. This includes used, broken and/or obsolete technology and devices such as:

Computer towers
Laptops
Monitors
Cell phones
Cameras
Printers
Scanners
Keyboards and mice
Video/Audio equipment
Gaming devices
E-readers
Household appliances

What is Carbon Colonialism?

According to Laurie Parsons, author of Carbon Colonialism: How rich countries export climate breakdown, "carbon colonialism is the system by which the Global North 'outsources' carbon emissions by moving dirty industry and waste to the Global South." By moving e-waste, plastics and textiles to the Global South, corporations can claim that no objects are directed to landfills, contributing to greenwashing and increased revenues, while harming people and land outside of North America.

Photo by Vilmar Simion on Unsplash

How can I minimize e-waste?

Use your electronics for longer
Re-use your devices and equipment by passing them onto friends, family and neighbours
Repair items instead of purchasing new ones
Recycle responsibly

What do I need to think about before recycling e-waste?

Toxins - E-waste contains substances such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, beryllium, cadmium, nickel, plastics and flame retardants that can leach out into the soil and water causing serious environmental and health concerns.
Recycle local - Make sure your e-waste is recycled locally to minimize the effect of toxins on developing countries and nations.
Personal privacy - Ensure that all of your personal data has been removed from all electronics (and all memory storage areas) prior to recycling. This includes banking information, stored logins and passwords. Remove all sim cards and if you are worried, you can also remove internal hard drives. The Government of Canada offers advice on how to safely erase information from tech in a report called Sanitization and Disposal of Electronic Devices.

Where can I recycle e-waste?

Choose recycling depots and organizations that are endorsed and follow guidelines from EPRA (Electronic Products Recycling Association) and/or BAN (Basel Action Network). Below you will find a list of some local organizations in British Columbia that can help you reuse and recycle your e-waste:

Free Geek Vancouver - "Free Geek Vancouver is a registered non-profit community organization that started with the simple idea, that everyone should have a computer, that reduces the environmental impact of waste electronics by reusing and recycling donated technology. Through community engagement we provide education, job skills training, Internet access and free or low cost computers to the public. We dispose of equipment in an ethical and environmentally responsible manner. We're a reuse and recycling centre, and a large part of our mission is environmental."
The Hackery - "The Hackery has been repairing and recycling Vancouver's computers since 2008. In that time we have fixed thousands of problems, and recycled hundreds of tonnes of end-of-life equipment."
Return-It - Return It operates under EPRA and provides information on electronics recycling locations, events and processes.
FCM Recycling - "We recycle electronics ethically and responsibly. We are a 100% Canadian owned and operated company with a driven team of nearly 200 employees. We are committed to diverting consumer and industrial end-of-life electronics from landfills by responsibly recycling all equipment and their components at one of our 6 state-of-the-art processing facilities across the Canada."
B.C Technology for Learning Society - "BC Tech is a registered charity that collects donated computers (and all types of other tech devices), trains and hires youth to refurbish the computers, and then distributes the computers to schools, nonprofits, libraries, Indigenous groups, and students. "

References

Parson, L. (2023, June 29). Lifting the curtain on carbon colonialism. Atmos. https://atmos.earth/where-global-north-sends-its-carbon-emissions/
Yohannes Desalegn Wirtu and Gudina Terefe Tucho. 2022. E-waste: Growing environmental and health problems and its management alternatives in developing countries. Environmental Reviews. 30(4): 524-536. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2021-0120

Related Library Resources

Finite Media by Sean Cubitt
ISBN: 9780822362920
Publication Date: 2017-01-03
While digital media give us the ability to communicate with and know the world, their use comes at the expense of an immense ecological footprint and environmental degradation. In Finite Media Sean Cubitt offers a large-scale rethinking of theories of mediation by examining the environmental and human toll exacted by mining and the manufacture, use, and disposal of millions of phones, computers, and other devices.
The Carbon Footprint of Everything by Mike Berners-Lee
ISBN: 9781771645768
Publication Date: 2022-04-19
The Carbon Footprint of Everything breaks items down by the amount of carbon they produce, creating a calorie guide for the carbon-conscious. With engaging writing, leading carbon expert Mike Berners-Lee shares new carbon calculations based on recent research. He considers the impact of the pandemic on the carbon battle—especially the embattled global supply chain—and adds items we didn’t consider a decade ago, like bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
The Intersectional Environmentalist : how to dismantle systems of oppression to protect people + planet by Leah Thomas
Call Number: GE220 .T56 2022
ISBN: 9780316279291
"The Intersectional Environmentalist is a primer on the intersection between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and an acknowledgment of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people -- especially those most often unheard. Written by Leah Thomas, a prominent voice in the field and the woman who coined the term "Intersectional Environmentalism," this book is simultaneously a call to action, a guide to instigating change for all, and a pledge to work towards the empowerment of all people and the betterment of the planet"--publisher's description
How Bad Are Bananas? by Mike Berners-Lee
ISBN: 9781553658313
Publication Date: 2011-04-01
We always hear the same old green advice: fly less, turn the thermostat down, drive a hybrid car. But what about all the other things we buy and do? Part green-lifestyle guide, part popular science book, this books provides the facts we need to make carbon-savvy purchases and lifestyle decisions. It discusses the carbon footprint, the carbon emissions used to manufacture and transport everyday items, including paper bags and imported produce, and provides information to help build carbon considerations into everyday purchases. It also helps put things into perspective with entries for the big things (bushfires, volcanic eruptions and the Iraq war) as well as the little things (newspapers, sending a letter, a pint of beer).
Pollution Is Colonialism by Max Liboiron
Call Number: JA75.8 .L54 2021
ISBN: 9781478014133
Publication Date: 2021-05-14
"An interdisciplinary book written by Métis scientist and activist Max Liboiron, Pollution is Colonialism shows how doing environmental research and activism is often premised on a colonial worldview even when practitioners are working towards benevolent goals. The book lays out key terms and a framework for understanding scientific research methods as ways of being in the world that can align with or against colonialism. Liboiron models an anti-colonial scientific practice aligned with Indigenous concepts of land, ethics, and relations, all while taking up the project of Western science, dealing with issues of compromise and conflicting ideas of good relations"-- Provided by publisher.
Planetary Mine by Martin Arboleda
ISBN: 9781788732963
Publication Date: 2020-01-14
Planetary Mine rethinks the politics and territoriality of resource extraction, especially as the mining industry becomes reorganized in the form of logistical networks, and East Asian economies emerge as the new pivot of the capitalist world-system. Through an exploration of the ways in which mines in the Atacama Desert of Chile—the driest in the world—have become intermingled with an expanding constellation of megacities, ports, banks, and factories across East Asia, the book rethinks uneven geographical development in the era of supply chain capitalism. Arguing that extraction entails much more than the mere spatiality of mine shafts and pits, Planetary Mine points towards the expanding webs of infrastructure, of labor, of finance, and of struggle, that drive resource-based industries in the twenty-first century.

Articles

Digital Carbon Footprint

How to Reduce Your Digital Carbon Footprint
Nine ways to reduce your digital carbon footprint from the David Suzuki Foundation.
Concerned about your data use? Here is the carbon footprint of an average day of emails, WhatsApps and more
Vast datacentres are being built worldwide, amid growing concerns about the environmental costs. So should we all be considering a data diet – if not complete digital sobriety?
The Cloud Is Material: On the Environmental Impacts of Computation and Data Storage
In the age of machine learning, cryptocurrency mining, and seemingly infinite data storage capacity enabled by cloud computing, the environmental costs of ubiquitous computing in modern life are obscured by the sheer complexity of infrastructures and supply chains involved in ...
What is Your Digital Environmental Footprint?
As our digital lives and real world are intricately intertwined, is it time that we start considering the impact of our digital identities on the natural world?
Streaming Carbon Footprint
Streaming media is calculated to contribute a surprising 1% of global greenhouse gases, because most regions of the world obtain electricity from fossil fuels to power their data centers, networks, and devices. Streaming large files in large quantities, then, ethically implicates spectators in the warming of the planet. Bad news — but we have some solutions!
Google’s emissions climb nearly 50% in five years due to AI energy demand
Google’s goal of reducing its climate footprint is in jeopardy as it relies on more and more energy-hungry data centres to power its new artificial intelligence products. The tech giant revealed Tuesday that its greenhouse gas emissions have climbed 48% over the past five years.
Protect the Planet: Stop Streaming Songs
Surprisingly, the act of downloading [a] song uses the same amount of energy as streaming it. But once you’ve downloaded the song, the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted is far less for each additional play than if you continue to stream it from the cloud.
The Environmental Impact of Music Streaming Explained
Over the past several years, the music industry has been gradually learning how to become more sustainable in the face of global warming. Focus has been rightfully put on large-scale problems like touring and music festivals, but what about the act of listening to music from the comfort of our own homes?
Is Streaming Bad for the Planet? A Deeper Look Into Netflix, Spotify, and More
Plenty of things cause a significant impact on the environment: traveling, how we dispose of waste, what we eat—essentially all human activities. Each one uses energy, produces emissions, and therefore contributes to a carbon footprint. But what about the activities that aren’t so straightforward? Have you ever wondered how streaming—something millions of people do every day—impacts the environment?

E-Waste

Electronic waste (e-waste)
Every year millions of electrical and electronic devices are discarded as products break or become obsolete and are thrown away. These discarded devices are considered e-waste and can become a threat to health and the environment if they are not disposed of and recycled appropriately.
These busted solar panels are an early example of a looming problem — and an opportunity
According to the Smart Prosperity Institute, by 2050 the country will be dealing with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of unusable solar panels and wind turbine blades. Some businesses are looking at this looming source of waste with dollar signs in their eyes.
The Growing Environmental Risks of E-Waste
E-waste, electronic waste, e-scrap and end-of-life electronics are terms often used to describe used electronics that are nearing the end of their useful life, and are discarded, donated or given to a recycler. The UN defines e-waste as any discarded products with a battery or plug, and features toxic and hazardous substances such as mercury, that can pose severe risk to human and environmental health.

Carbon Colonialism

E-waste: Growing environmental and health problems and its management alternatives in developing countries
The findings of this review show that the volume of
electronic waste destined for developing countries is increasing from year to year. Most countries did not have specific policies
on e-waste but relied on hazardous waste policies. Dumping and improper recycling and handling of e-waste cause problems
such as contamination of soil and water, depletion of grazing land, health problems such as respiratory infections, various
cancers, congenital disabilities, and other health issues that affect the brain and other vital organs.
Lifting the Curtain on Carbon Colonialism
Carbon colonialism is the system by which the Global North “outsources” carbon emissions by moving dirty industry and waste to the Global South. This needs to stop, urges Laurie Parsons—the Global North must start taking responsibility for its economy and its production.
Recycle Your Electronics
Hot new gadgets are released and marketed so fast, waste and recycling systems can’t keep up. Plus, improper electronics disposal is increasing, which disproportionally burdens developing nations.