πŸ”— Frugal computing: On the need for low-carbon and sustainable computing and the path towards zero-carbon computing

On the need for low-carbon and sustainable computing and the path towards zero-carbon computing.
Computing and infrastructure currently use around 11% of the world's electricity and is projected to grow 3 - 4 times over the next 20 years. As makers of software (and hardware) we've got to find a way to extend the lifespan of devices for as long as possible.

Taking into account the carbon cost of both operation and production, computing would be responsible for 10 GtCOβ‚‚e by 2040, almost half of the acceptable COβ‚‚ emissions budget

The report about the cost of planned obsolescence by the European Environmental Bureau [7] makes the scale of the problem very clear. For laptops and similar computers, manufacturing, distribution and disposal account for 52% of their Global Warming Potential (i.e. the amount of COβ‚‚-equivalent emissions caused). For mobile phones, this is 72%. The report calculates that the lifetime of these devices should be at least 25 years to limit their Global Warming Potential.

25-years on the same mobile phone. I can't even imagine. I'd love it if that were possible in today's world. Maybe if it was a "dumb" phone. But even then wireless network's lifespans aren't even that long these days.Β 

I used my iPhone 6S+ for around 4 years until a pin broke on it and I could no longer charge it. "Repairing" it (my first option) would have meant getting a new iPhone 6S+ for half the cost of a brand new iPhone XR. I hope I can keep my phone for at least as long as I've had my current computer (7 - 8 years).
  1. Tagged with
  2. co2
  3. computing
  4. electricity
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