Environmental issues 1 (Edexcel GCSE Computer Science): Revision Notes

Environmental issues 1

Digital devices have become essential parts of our daily lives, but their creation, use, and disposal create significant environmental challenges. Understanding these impacts helps us make more responsible choices about technology.

The environmental impact of digital devices

The lifecycle of digital devices - from creation to disposal - affects our environment in multiple ways. Every smartphone, laptop, or tablet requires raw materials, energy to manufacture, power to operate, and eventually needs proper disposal or recycling.

Manufacture of digital devices

Creating digital devices requires enormous amounts of natural resources and energy, causing various environmental problems.

Raw materials and mining

Digital devices contain many different materials that must be extracted from the Earth. Large quantities of raw materials are needed, including:

• Copper - used in wiring and circuits
• Palladium - found in computer components
• Rare earth elements - essential for screens and batteries

Many of these materials are non-renewable, meaning once we use them up, they're gone forever. Some materials like arsenic are highly toxic and dangerous to handle.

Energy and pollution in manufacturing

Manufacturing digital devices requires vast amounts of energy, and much of this comes from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. This contributes to global warming by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The manufacturing process also produces polluted waste water as a byproduct, which can contaminate rivers and groundwater if not properly treated.

Energy consumption throughout device lifecycle

Understanding how devices use energy helps us see the bigger picture of their environmental impact.

The 70-30 energy split

Here's a surprising fact: approximately 70% of a digital device's total energy consumption happens during manufacture and disposal, while only 30% occurs during actual use. This means the environmental impact starts long before you even switch on your device!

Energy use breakdown:

• Manufacturing stage (70%): Mining raw materials, manufacturing components, packaging, transportation, recycling
• Use stage (30%): Powering devices, running telecommunications networks, storing data in data centres

Smart technologies helping the environment

While digital devices consume energy, some smart technologies actually help protect the environment:

• Light sensors automatically turn off lights when rooms are empty
• Route planners help drivers find the most fuel-efficient paths
• Smart thermostats reduce heating and cooling energy waste

Disposal and the e-waste problem

When digital devices reach the end of their useful life, they become electronic waste (e-waste). This creates massive environmental challenges.

The scale of the e-waste problem

The numbers are staggering:

• Approximately 50 million tonnes of e-waste are produced globally each year
• Only around 20% of e-waste is properly recycled
• The remaining 80% often ends up in landfills or is illegally dumped

Dangers of improper e-waste disposal

Illegal dumping of e-waste causes significant harm to both environment and human health:

• Toxic substances like lead, mercury, and cobalt can leak into soil and water
• People living near e-waste dumps face severe health problems
• Many computer components cannot be recycled or reused with current technology
• Developing countries often receive millions of tonnes of e-waste dumped illegally each year

WEEE regulations

Responsible recycling solutions

Proper recycling can address many problems associated with e-waste and provides several environmental benefits.

Benefits of responsible recycling

When e-waste is recycled properly, it can:

• Reduce chemical leakage and fires in landfill sites
• Enable recovery of valuable metals that can be reused in new devices
• Reduce the need for mining new raw materials
• Enable recycling of plastic cases that would otherwise break down into toxic particles
• Reduce harmful toxins released into the air during decomposition

Data centres and energy consumption

Data centres - the massive facilities that store our online data and keep the internet running - use around 200 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year. That's an enormous amount of energy!