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T2 - Environmental Impacts

Electricity Consumption & Its Environmental Impact

Electricity is an essential part of most peoples lives in the world now a days, which means that power plants are working harder and creating even more pollution leading to damaging the ozone layer of our atmosphere.
The ozone layer is what protects us from the heat and radiation from the Sun. Due to this being damaged, the heat and radiation cannot be absorbed and ends up passing through getting trapped in our atmosphere and raising the temperature of our planet.
Our reliance on electricity has made scientists around the world search for more environmentally friendly ways to generate electricity, e.g. Wind Turbines and Solar Panels. Although these new methods may not output as much as the old power plants, they are a big step to improving the way we create electricity whilst having little to no impact on the environment.

Improvements In Computing Power Per Kilowatt

New computer components are becoming more powerful and they are being used by even more people. To balance the amount of electricity and the increasing use of powerful computer components, these components come with technology that allows themselves to down-clock when not under heavy load. This allows the components to draw less electricity when being used for very minimal tasks, e.g. browsing the internet. For more intensive tasks, such as gaming, rendering or compiling, this technology will allow the components to speed back up to their intended speed, which will draw more power.

Increasing Amounts Of Electronic Waste

Electronic waste can be harmful to the environment if not disposed of correctly due to some components, like batteries, containing dangerous chemicals. With the increasing usage of computers in everyday life, the amount of E-waste that is produced puts a significant amount of pressure on landfill sites to stop any damage being done to the environment around them.
The heavy metal materials found in E-waste, such as lead, cadmium and mercury, can end up in the soil, the water and could potentially end up inside of people, causing very serious health issues. [1]

Need To Recycle Dangerous Chemicals, Heavy Metals & Other Components

Recycling these dangerous chemicals, heavy metals and components can lead to improving the environment and could also slow down the rate of us gathering these materials from the earth.

Issues Relating To The Export Of Waste Electronic Equipment For Recycling To The Developing World

Old computer components are recycled to developing nations, so they have opportunities to become familiar with what is used in developed nations, albeit being a few years older than what is currently used in developed nations.
One issue with this is with components becoming more powerful, they will need to draw more electricity. Developing nations already have a limited amount of electricity and these more powerful components could put a big strain on those small energy suppliers.

References

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