Digital pollution: what is the environmental impact? (Note)

Usefulness of the article: This article discusses the environmental impact of the energy-intensive digital sector. This is known as digital pollution. The carbon footprint of the digital sector continues to grow: through the manufacture of electronic devices, the proliferation of uses, and the management of their end-of-life, digital technology contributes to environmental pollution. The concept of digital ecology, which is still relatively unknown, raises awareness among all economic actors of the importance of rationalizing digital uses in order to promote ecological transition.

Summary:

• The digital transition is an essential tool for economic growth and social development. Its impact on the global economy has given rise to a new industrial revolution.
• However, it would appear that the expansion of digital technology is accompanied by a sharp increase in the energy footprint of the sector itself. Far from being virtual or immaterial, the digital sector is very energy-intensive and consumes large amounts of non-renewable natural resources.
• Digital pollution refers to the pollution caused by new technologies through the global operation of the internet, the manufacture of digital tools, and their use.
• Digital ecology is a major area for development in order to rationalize usage, promote energy consumption reduction, and ensure ecological transition.

Digital technology has many positive impacts in favor of global ecological transition: it is identified as a lever for economic growth and social and environmental development, it promotes energy efficiency and contributes to reducing the carbon footprint by optimizing consumption patterns and production processes, as well as through dematerialization and the sharing of information and knowledge.

However, the digital sector is not a virtual or immaterial sector, as it is very energy-intensive and requires the production of many non-renewable natural resources. The energy consumption associated with the manufacture, use, and end-of-life of electronic devices has a real negative impact on the environment. This digital pollution has become a major ecological issue, giving rise to the concept of digital ecology.

1. Ecological transition and digital revolution

Ecological transition and the digital revolution generally go hand in hand. The digital transition is an essential tool for economic growth and social development. Its impact on the global economy has given rise to a new industrial revolution. As mentioned in the article  » From digital transformation to Industry 4.0, » the digital transition is bringing about changes in the economy, as evidenced, for example, by new concepts for optimizing business operations: the cloud, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and artificial intelligence are among the major technological innovations shaping current trends.

There is a wealth of literature and examples explaining the positive impacts of digital technology on the business world and on economic and social development, but what about digital technology and its contribution to the ecological transition?

From an environmental perspective, digital technology can be seen as a tool that promotes ecological transition, in that it can contribute to a significant reduction in energy consumption in various sectors of activity.

The concept of  » smart » ( i.e., smart city (infrastructure), smart health (services), smart grid (energy), smart farming (agriculture), smart transport (connected mobility), smart buildings, etc.) is increasingly present in economic news: it refers to the use of digital technology to make industry operations, interconnectivity, information sharing, operability, and production processes smarter—with the aim of optimizing energy use, reducing carbon footprints, and allocating resources by rationalizing usage and responding to real-time needs and utility.

As highlighted in the white paper « Digital Technology and the Environment[2], » digital technology helps to « improve the functioning of energy networks, increase the penetration of renewable energies, reduce electricity consumption during peak periods, optimize waste collection, and reduce the use of inputs[3] in agriculture. It also makes it possible to introduce sharing systems (workplaces, production trends, shared leisure activities), and facilitates crowdfunding for renewable energies . »

However, it would appear that the expansion of digital technology is accompanied by a sharp increase in the energy footprint of the sector itself. Far from being virtual, the digital sector is also very energy-intensive and consumes large amounts of non-renewable natural resources.

The positive effects of digital expansion are often overestimated, as highlighted in the Shift Project’s report « Lean ICT, for digital sobriety »[4]. The direct negative impact of digital technology on the environment comes from the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources for the production and use of digital equipment and infrastructure.

Another direct impact comes from the end of life of this equipment and its recycling, while the indirect impact of digital technology can be explained by the rebound effect[5] generated by the expansion of its use: this rebound effect can be described as a gain in productivity resulting in lower production costs and therefore an increase in production volumes, followed by product diversification and, finally, a renewal of the product range leading to an increase in energy consumption (not offset by the energy efficiency gains associated with digital technology).

After conducting modeling and consolidating studies on the environmental impacts of digital technology[6] on a global scale, The Shift Project indicates that digital energy consumption[7] will increase by approximately 9% per year between 2015 and 2020. If the situation remains unchanged, the proportion of global energy consumption accounted for by digital technology would rise from 2.7% in 2017 to 3.3% in 2020 and could reach 4% in 2025 or even 6% if progress in energy efficiency slows down. As for the share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from digital technology, it would rise from 2.5% in 2013 to 4% in 2020.

In addition, the digital transition is driving growing demand for rare metals, some of which are paradoxically also used in the production of low-carbon technologies, creating supply tensions.

This overconsumption of energy is concentrated in developed countries, while the impact of digital technology on productivity and growth remains largely imperceptible at present (see article BSI Digital economy: definition and impacts, economy).

2. Impact of digital technology on the environment: focus on digital pollution

The concept of « digital pollution » stems from the exploitation of raw materials for the manufacture of tools and applications, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the use of these new technologies, increasing the sector’s carbon footprint.

According to Novethic[8], the main contributors to digital pollution are:

• data storage centers, where the growth in the amount of data collected (Big Data) to be stored and processed is exponential, thereby increasing their energy needs;
• material manufacturers, leading to overexploitation of natural resources and increasing pollution (soil, air, water); and
• software, which requires high energy consumption to operate.

The report « Lean ICT: towards digital sobriety[9]  » identifies four main sources of strong growth in digital energy consumption:

1. the growth in smartphone consumption: a phenomenon accentuated by increasing consumption habits and the gradual equipping of the population, including in developing countries;
2. the proliferation[10] of everyday devices and the trend towards connectivity between devices used on a daily basis, leading to significant energy consumption for the manufacture of communication modules (sensors, chips, etc.) for connection via wireless communication networks.
3. The rapid growth of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which enables the industrial sector to communicate across all links in the industrial value chain in order to collect information digitally and translate it into data. This data is analyzed to optimize processes, increase operational efficiency, and migrate to new business models.
4. The explosion in data traffic[11]: in line with the growth in the number of equipped users, connected devices, new features, and possible uses for digital devices.

Three main causes of digital pollution have been identified:

Source: Digital For The Planet

• The first cause stems from the manufacturing phase of electronic devices (smartphones, computers, connected objects, chips), which includes the extraction of raw materials, the production of electronic components, and the assembly of equipment. These manufacturing processes are very metal-intensive, some of which are rare, causing the depletion of non-renewable reserves and directly impacting the environment through land exploitation and pollution. These raw materials are also highly toxic, while their refining pollutes the environment and can poison local populations.

Demand for raw materials is growing, raising questions about the environmental and social costs of manufacturing these electronic devices, in addition to the geopolitical issues this raises. Furthermore, China has a virtual monopoly, supplying 95%[13] of rare mineral production. This situation, combined with the rarity of these metals and their limited production, raises questions about the future supply of these materials and could lead to price tensions.

• The second cause of digital pollution stems fromthe use or consumption phase: for example, according to ADEME[14] , « each French employee receives an average of 58 work-related emails per day and sends 33. Sending 33 emails per day with 1 MB attachments to two recipients generates annual emissions equivalent to 180 kg of CO2, or as much as 1,000 km traveled by car[15].

In addition, the use of digital equipment generates massive data mobilization, regardless of the action performed (email, online browsing, streaming, etc.): this data is supported and stored by infrastructures such as data centers, which host large amounts of data, particularly from GAFAM[16].

• The final cause isthe management of devices at the end of their life cycle. Recycling electronic equipment could reduce the negative externalities of the exploitation and production of rare metals, and could also be one of the solutions for optimizing and securing supplies.

3. Digital ecology: a little-known concept

The study[18] « Les Français face à l’écologie digitale » [19] (The French and digital ecology) highlighted the concept of digital ecology. This can be defined as « the discipline that studies the environmental impact of the various ecosystems linking humans and digital technology with the aim of limiting their harmful effects on the environment. »

73% of French people are unaware of the concept of « digital ecology, » even though it is a major area for development in order to rationalize usage, promote energy consumption reduction, and support the ecological transition. However, when they learn about the definition of digital ecology, 90% of those surveyed express a positive opinion, but as the study points out , « there is a small pool of potential ambassadors. » However, intuitively, 76% of respondents believe that digital activities pollute as much (25%) or even more (51%) than the aviation sector.

In light of the survey results, it is primarily the government that should take up the concept of digital ecology and make it a strategic priority. Government action is followed by that of consumer citizens, who must prioritize digital ecology in their consumption habits and practices. Next come businesses, which must make digital ecology issues a strategic priority in their activities.

Finally, around two-thirds of respondents agree with the statement by the NGO Digital For The Planet, which emphasizes that  » digital ecology is an indicator of good economic health .« 

Conclusion

Digital technology can be a tool for responding to various environmental challenges, particularly in terms of energy transition, but it still contributes too much to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the sector’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, its carbon footprint continues to grow. Digital GHG emissions are expected to double by 2025 to reach 8%[21].Despite recent efforts to raise awareness of digital pollution and technological advances in GreenTech[22], real progress still needs to be made, requiring the mobilization of public institutions, companies, engineers, and specialized associations to propose areas for improvement with a view to greater digital sobriety[23] among companies, consumers, and public administrations. It is also a question of reducing the social and environmental footprint of the sector within companies, for example through the Green IT[25] approach, in order to orient digital services towards serving the environment.

Sources

• The Shift Project, October 2018 « Lean ICT, for digital sobriety »
• Iddri, FING, WWF France, GreenIT.fr (2018). « White Paper on Digital Technology and the Environment »
• WWF France, GreenIT.fr, October 2018 « We Green IT Study: What Green IT approach for large French companies? »
• GreenPeace 2017, CliCking Clean: Who is winning the race to build a green internet?
• ADEME, 2018 edition, Guide « The hidden side of digital technology »
• G. Gublin Guerrero, BSI Economics 2015 « From Digital Transformation to Industry 4.0 »
• G. Gublin Guerrero, BSI Economics 2015 « Digital economy: definition and impacts »
• Occurrence, Digital for the Planet 2018 « The French and digital ecology »
• Cleanfox, White Paper « Digital Pollution »
• Thanks to Anthony Alfont, COO of the NGO Digital For the Planet, for his contribution on the concept of digital ecology.

Websites and online articles

• The environmental impact of digital technology, Ordi 3.0
• How digital technology pollutes amid global indifference, La Tribune.fr
• Ouch! 73% of French people have never heard of digital ecology, L’ADN
• What is the environmental footprint of the web?, GreenIT
• Stopping digital pollution: the next challenge for businesses?, L’ADN
• Digital pollution: it’s time to act, Les Echos.fr
• https://www.novethic.fr/lexique/detail/pollution-numerique.html
• https://presse.ademe.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cahier_JDD_Face-cach%C3%A9e-des-objets.pdf
• https://www.supinfo.com/articles/single/4897-pollution-numerique
• https://www.novethic.fr/actualite/environnement/pollution/isr-rse/pollution-numerique-l-impact-sur-l-environnement-n-est-pas-virtuel-143921.html
• https://www.hippocampe.fr/blog/pollution-numerique-internet-6eme-nation-la-plus-polluante-du-monde/
• https://www.abilways-digital.com/magazine/digital-planet-comment-limiter-notre-pollution-numerique-anthony-alfont
• http://www.socialisme-libertaire.fr/2018/08/la-pollution-numerique-un-prochain-enjeu-ecologique-majeur.html