Environmental Impact of Digital Technology (Edexcel IGCSE ICT)

Revision Note

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Expertise

Computer Science Content Creator

The environmental impacts of digital technology can be categorised in to four key areas:
- Carbon footprint
- E-waste
- Resource consumption
- Energy use

Category	Description
Carbon footprint	The production of, using of and disposing of digital technology adds to greenhouse gas emissions
E-waste	A throw-away society generates a growing amount of e-waste It often ends up in landfills in less developed countries, leading to health and pollution hazards
Resource consumption	Rare materials and resources being consumed during the manufacturing of digital devices
Energy use	Increased use of data centres and the number of digital devices in the home adding extra strain to power grids

Energy use is a big factor in the sustainability issues caused by the use of digital devices

Cause	Issue	Mitigation
Digital devices at home and in the office	Power is produced using non-renewable energies	Using renewable energies Using more energy efficient devices
Data centres	Requires extensive cooling which is generated by non-renewable energies	Geolocation of data centres in colder climates Near rivers to to use of natural hydro-electric power
Natural resources	Poisonous substances used in digital devices	Recycling Education Laws Harmless alternatives

Explain one benefit to the environment of buying previously-owned devices

[2]

Answer

Examples could include:

It is more sustainable [1] because fewer precious metals used/required/mined [1]
Reduces/mitigates the impact on the food chain [1] because fewer waste materials leak into the ground/water supply/food chain [1]
The need to mine more is delayed [1] because precious metals are reused [1]
Non-renewable resources like oil are not depleted [1] because less plastic is used [1]

to absolutely everything:

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

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