Environmental Issues

Question 1

What natural resources are needed to make a device?

Answer 1

Contain raw materials
Plastics from crude oil
May contain precious metals e.g. gold, silver, copper, etc
Lots of energy so pollution occurs when extracting these materials

Question 2

What happens when we use energy for devices?

Answer 2

Electricity comes from non-renewable resources e.g. coal
Extracting these and producing electricity -> pollution
Computers generate heat so require cooling e.g. powerful servers used in businesses need A.C. rooms to keep them cool

Question 3

How can you reduce energy consumption?

Answer 3

Virtual servers -> software-based servers that only need one physical server to run
Sleep + hibernation modes in modern devices for powersaving
Don’t leave electronic devices on standby

Question 4

What happens when we dispose of devices?

Answer 4

E-Waste
Device Manufacturers + Retailers -> Provide short warranties -> to make people upgrade, and have pricing policies so its cheaper to replace than repair

Question 5

Why is E-Waste harmful?

Answer 5

It ends up in African + Asian countries’ land fill where toxic chemicals can leak into the groundwater and harm wildlife