Difficult to predict the environmental footprint of digital technology

Yann Torrent

16/09/2024

The environmental impact of digital technology

Articles and interviews are appearing in the press, on the radio and on networks, denouncing the growing environmental footprint of digital technology. Figures of 3 to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions are said to be directly linked to digital technology. As players in this sector, are we actively participating in an ecocide?

Growth and decline

One thing is certain: for all these years, digital technology has been at the heart of our lives. And there’s no denying that the growth in its uses is a well-established reality. However, I remember that 25 or 30 years ago, a 60-watt incandescent bulb was barely enough to light a room, whereas today a MacBook Pro doesn’t even consume 60 Watts.

So growth in usage doesn’t necessarily mean growth in consumption (particularly of electricity).

Growth in digital use also often means a decline in other uses, which can be much more polluting and have a greater impact on the environment (e.g. working remotely versus driving to the office, etc.).

Some rather incomplete studies

I was surprised not to find a digital impact study with a global vision. An analysis integrating a risk&benefit balance, and taking into account the elements for and against. Most of the studies that are widely shared are, in my view, biased or incomplete.

However, there are a few studies out there, documented, sourced, etc.

For example, the one by George Kamiya, a former energy policy analyst: The carbon footprint of streaming video: fact-checking the headlines.

This study focuses primarily on the footprint of video streaming, a major consumer of resources, and includes this graph:

At US level, electricity consumption by data centers has been stable since 2015. While at the same time Internet traffic and its uses have been growing year on year.

This is an interesting finding, as it is very different from other communications on the subject, and may even seem counter-intuitive at first glance.

Efficiency and common sense

Another article from the World Economic Forum, published at the end of 2023: Why we need to ramp up tech diplomacy to harness opportunities of the digital economy mentions an interesting statistic.

Although the digital sector accounts for 3% to 4% of the environmental footprint of human activity, it also represents over 15% of total human activity. It is therefore a highly efficient sector from an environmental point of view, especially when compared to other sectors.

Of course, this is not to deny the environmental impact of building equipment, computers, smartphones and so on.

Renewing them every year remains an environmental nonsense. Beyond the problem of their manufacture, the second-hand and recycling market can help to reduce it, but without ever annihilating it, it must be admitted.

The question of the energy footprint of digital technology remains open

In conclusion, it’s hard to form a clear-cut opinion on this complex issue.

But it’s never black and white, and the issue is serious enough to warrant some attention.

Personally, I think digital is more part of the solution than the problem.

What’s more, as long as energy costs continue to rise, digital technology will continue to adapt to consume less and produce more, in order to optimize resources more and more.

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