Binge-watching with a side of emissions: Study finds digital habits contribute to climate change
Binge-watching with a side of emissions: Study finds digital habits contribute to climate change Down To Earth Magazine
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Study Reveals Environmental Impact of Digital Content Consumption
Global users of web surfing, social media, video and music streaming, and video conferencing emit approximately 229 kilograms of CO2-equivalent per year, which corresponds to about 3-4% of the per capita anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This finding was highlighted in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. The study also revealed that roughly 40% of the per capita carbon budget, which is the average amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced per person to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, can be attributed to digital content consumption.
Decarbonising Electricity Production to Mitigate Climate Impacts
The researchers emphasized the crucial role of decarbonising electricity production in mitigating the climate impacts of digital content consumption. By rapidly decarbonising the electricity sector, it is possible to reduce the climate change impacts of digital content consumption to just 12% of the per capita carrying capacity by 2030.
Global Internet Access and Data Traffic
- About 60% of the global population has internet access.
- In 2021, global data traffic reached 3.4 zettabytes (ZB), which is equivalent to one trillion bytes.
- Data traffic has seen a significant growth of 440% since 2021.
Environmental Impacts of Digital Content Consumption
Previous studies have shown that global data centers and data transmission networks collectively account for 2-3% of global electricity consumption. However, there is a lack of bottom-up analysis of internet consumption considering users’ consumption patterns of different digital contents. To address this, the researchers quantified the environmental impacts of digital content consumption by considering all the necessary infrastructure linked to the consumption patterns of an average user.
Impacts on Earth’s Carrying Capacity
The researchers assessed the impacts on the per capita share of the Earth’s carrying capacity by including 16 indicators related to climate change, nutrients, air pollution, toxicity, and resource use. They found that the global average consumption of web surfing, social media, video and music streaming, and video conferencing could account for:
- Around 55% of the per capita carrying capacity for mineral and metal resource use.
- 20% for freshwater eutrophication.
- Over 10% for particulate matter, ecotoxicity, and fossil resources use.
Addressing Environmental Impacts
The researchers highlighted the importance of not overlooking efforts to mitigate the impacts of the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure to avoid exacerbating further pressure on the finite Earth’s carrying capacity. They noted that ICT companies are primarily focusing on deploying renewable energies and increasing corporate momentum towards carbon dioxide removal. However, these solutions do not address the environmental impacts associated with the extraction and processing of raw materials used in electronic devices.
The authors urged producers to increase the lifetime of electronic devices and take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products. This approach may further encourage the durability of electronic devices and help reduce their environmental impacts.
Conclusion
The study highlights the significant environmental cost of digital content consumption and the need for decarbonising electricity production to mitigate its climate impacts. It also emphasizes the importance of addressing the environmental impacts associated with the ICT infrastructure and increasing the lifetime of electronic devices. By taking these actions, it is possible to reduce the environmental footprint of digital content consumption and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
- Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
- Indicator: Greenhouse gas emissions from digital content consumption
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SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse
- Indicator: Environmental impacts of digital content consumption on resource use and emissions
The article highlights the environmental impact of digital content consumption on greenhouse gas emissions and resource use. This connects to SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
Under SDG 13, the target of integrating climate change measures into national policies and improving education and awareness on climate change mitigation can be identified. The article emphasizes the need to decarbonize electricity production to mitigate the climate impacts of digital content consumption.
Under SDG 12, the target of reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse can be identified. The article mentions the importance of increasing the lifetime of electronic devices to address the environmental impacts associated with their raw material extraction and processing.
The article mentions greenhouse gas emissions from digital content consumption as an indicator to measure progress towards the targets under SDG 13. It also refers to the environmental impacts of digital content consumption on resource use and emissions as indicators to measure progress towards the targets under SDG 12.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | Greenhouse gas emissions from digital content consumption |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse | Environmental impacts of digital content consumption on resource use and emissions |
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Fuente: downtoearth.org.in
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