The Material Footprint of Digital Technology
Ximena has a cell phone that still works, but her data plan runs out halfway through the month and the store has a new one on sale during El Buen Fin. She thinks: "It's just a device, it doesn't pollute." Is she right? On this page you will follow the path of a cell phone, from the mine to the dump, and see how much energy each video you watch costs.
The Physical Chain of Digital Technology
We say "the cloud," but the cloud is a building: a data center full of computers, cables, and air conditioning. And the devices you connect with come from mines and factories. Digital technology has a material chain with five stages.
Each stage leaves a different impact:
| Stage | What happens | Environmental impact |
|---|---|---|
| Extraction | Lithium, cobalt, copper, gold, and rare earths are mined | Soil destruction, heavy water use, chemical contamination |
| Manufacturing | Chips, screens, and batteries are produced | High energy and water use; gas emissions |
| Transportation | It travels by ship, plane, and truck | CO₂ emissions from fuel |
| Use | The device is charged and data centers handle your requests | Electricity consumption (part of which comes from fossil fuels) |
| Disposal | It is thrown away or recycled | Toxic waste (lead, mercury, batteries) if not handled properly |
The digital world has a physical chain. Order its stages (use with electric power, manufacturing, disposal, mineral extraction, transport) and write one environmental…
The digital world has a physical chain. Order its stages (use with electric power, manufacturing, disposal, mineral extraction, transport) and write one environmental impact of each one, from the mine to electronic waste.
How Much Energy Your Data Costs
When you watch a video, your phone, the antennas, the cables, and the data centers all work together. All of that uses electricity. A common estimate is that moving 1 GB of data through cellular networks and data centers uses about $0.2\ \text{kWh}$. This is a rough average, and it varies by network and country.
To convert data into energy you just need to multiply:
$$\text{energía} = \text{datos (GB)} \times 0.2\ \text{kWh/GB}$$And to make it easy to grasp, you compare it with an everyday device. The energy of a device is power times time:
$$E = P \times t \quad\Rightarrow\quad t = \frac{E}{P}$$Watch the units: if the power is in watts (W), convert the energy from kWh to Wh by multiplying by 1,000.
It is estimated that transferring 1 GB of data through mobile networks and data centers consumes about 0.2 kWh of electricity. Calculate the energy that 200 GB in one…
It is estimated that transferring 1 GB of data through mobile networks and data centers consumes about 0.2 kWh of electricity. Calculate the energy that 200 GB in one month represents and compare it with something everyday: for how many hours could a 10 W LED bulb stay on with that same energy?
Electronic Waste
When a device breaks down or goes out of style, it becomes electronic waste (also called e-waste or WEEE). Cell phones, computers, chargers, screens, game consoles, and even toys with batteries fall into this category. Every year Mexico generates hundreds of thousands of tons, and only a small part is recycled safely.
Why is it dangerous to throw them in the regular trash?
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Soil: batteries and circuit boards contain lead, cadmium, and mercury. In a dump they seep into the ground.
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Water: rain carries those metals into aquifers, rivers, and wells.
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Air and health: if they are burned to get the copper out, they release toxic fumes. The people who work at those dumps breathe these fumes.
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Waste: valuable metals (gold, copper, lithium) are lost that could be reused, which would avoid opening another mine.
Mexico generates hundreds of thousands of tons of electronic waste every year (cell phones, computers, home appliances) and only a small share is recycled safely.…
Mexico generates hundreds of thousands of tons of electronic waste every year (cell phones, computers, home appliances) and only a small share is recycled safely. Explain two risks of throwing these devices in the regular trash (soil, water, health) and two concrete actions that extend their useful life or ensure they are recycled.
How to Reduce the Footprint
Since most of the impact comes from manufacturing and disposal, the best action is to keep using what you already have for longer. This is summed up in the "R"s of sustainability:
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Reduce: don't change phones just because it's trendy. Download only what you use and delete what you don't need.
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Repair: replacing a battery or a screen costs much less than a new device and avoids creating waste.
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Reuse: give away, sell, or donate your device. An old computer can run very well with a lightweight free operating system, such as GNU/Linux.
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Recycle: take devices that no longer work to authorized collection centers, not the regular trash.
And in daily use: lower the video quality if you don't need it, download a song instead of streaming the same one over and over, use Wi-Fi instead of cellular data when you can, and turn off what you aren't using.