Environmental Impact
Technology creates environmental costs that are easy to overlook. This lesson covers e-waste, data centre energy consumption, carbon footprints of digital activity, and what individuals and organisations can do about it.
Every year, the world generates 50 million tonnes of e-waste. That is heavier than all the commercial aircraft ever built. Less than 20% is formally recycled. The rest goes to landfill, where toxic materials including lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic leach into soil and groundwater. Meanwhile, data centres consume more electricity than the entire UK.
Environmental impact questions often ask you to identify specific problems (e-waste, energy consumption) and suggest solutions (renewable energy, right to repair, refurbishment programmes). For "evaluate" questions, you need to weigh benefits of technology against environmental costs, and avoid one-sided answers.
E-waste - the problem of discarded technology
Electronic waste (e-waste) refers to discarded electronic equipment: mobile phones, laptops, tablets, televisions, circuit boards, batteries and more. The problem has grown dramatically because the technology lifecycle has shortened - devices that once lasted a decade are now replaced every two to three years, driven by new features, planned obsolescence and rapidly changing software requirements.
Data centres and energy consumption
Every file stored in "the cloud" is actually stored on physical servers in large buildings called data centres. These buildings run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and require massive amounts of electricity - both to power the servers and to cool them.
Individual digital activities have measurable carbon footprints:
- Sending one email: approximately 4g CO2
- One hour of video streaming: approximately 36g CO2
- One Google search: approximately 0.2g CO2
- Training a large AI model: up to 626,000kg CO2 - equivalent to 5 cars' entire lifetime emissions
Bitcoin uses a process called "proof of work" to validate transactions. This requires millions of computers worldwide to compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles. The winning computer gets a Bitcoin reward, but the process consumes enormous amounts of electricity whether the puzzle is solved or not.
According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, Bitcoin's annual energy use has exceeded that of entire countries including Argentina, the Netherlands and Poland. In 2021, it consumed approximately 130 terawatt-hours per year. Much of this energy historically came from coal-powered plants in China.
China banned Bitcoin mining in 2021, shifting operations to other countries. The environmental debate continues: proponents argue that an increasing share of mining uses renewable energy; critics argue the total energy expenditure is indefensible for a currency used by a small fraction of the population.
Ireland has become one of Europe's largest data centre hubs because of its favourable tax rates and access to EU markets. By 2023, data centres in Ireland consumed more electricity than all Irish rural homes combined - approximately 18% of the country's total electricity demand, and rising.
EirGrid (Ireland's electricity grid operator) warned that the concentration of data centres could threaten grid stability. In 2022, some data centre planning permissions were refused by Dublin City Council on environmental grounds. The Irish government has been forced to reconsider its data centre strategy, balancing economic benefits against energy security and carbon targets.
Training large AI models requires enormous computing power. Estimates suggest that training GPT-4 consumed approximately 50 gigawatt-hours of electricity - roughly equivalent to the annual electricity use of 4,600 UK homes. Every time someone sends a query to an AI chatbot, it consumes several times more energy than a standard web search.
In 2024, Microsoft reported that its global carbon emissions had increased by 30% since 2020, largely due to its investment in AI infrastructure. Google's emissions rose 48% between 2019 and 2023, and in its 2024 environmental report the company acknowledged that achieving its net-zero targets by 2030 was now "extremely difficult" due to AI energy demands. Both companies had previously made high-profile commitments to be carbon-negative or carbon-free.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projected in 2024 that global electricity demand from data centres could double by 2026, with AI as the primary driver. Some energy analysts argued that AI would force construction of new gas and nuclear power stations, directly increasing carbon emissions at precisely the point when energy systems need to be decarbonising fastest.
CloudNine is a fictional UK company that provides cloud storage services. They currently run 500 servers that are 8 years old. A technology consultant advises them to replace all servers with new energy-efficient models that use 40% less electricity. The new servers would also reduce cooling requirements significantly.
However, a sustainability officer argues that manufacturing 500 new servers requires significant raw materials, energy and carbon emissions. They suggest extending the life of the existing servers for another 3 years while improving software efficiency, then replacing gradually.
Reducing environmental impact - what can be done?
Both individuals and organisations have options to reduce the environmental impact of technology. For exam questions, you need specific, actionable suggestions rather than vague statements like "use less technology."
A student argues: "Streaming music online is more environmentally friendly than buying a physical CD, because you don't need plastic, packaging or transport." Is this argument correct? What would you need to know to answer it properly?
Environmental impact comparison
Lesson 3 Worksheets
Three worksheets covering environmental impact facts, application and extended writing.