Issues and Impact

Question 1

What are the environmental issues in the manufacture of digital devices?

Answer 1

1. Large quantities of raw materials used to make digital devices
2. Mining for raw materials scars the landscape with waste and damages wildlife habitats
3. Energy used in the manufacturing process comes from non-renewable fossil fuels contributing to global warming

Question 2

What are the environmental issues with energy consumption of digital devices?

Answer 2

Lots of energy used in:
1. Production of computer equipment
2. Functioning of equipment
3. Online data storage
4. Recycling of equipment

Question 3

What are the environmental issues with disposal of digital devices

Answer 3

1. Many discarded devices end up in e-waste which may be illegally dumped on landfill sites
2. Substances such as lead can get into the land and water
3. Severe health issues are caused by people living near, or trying to salvage saleable items from e-waste dumps

Question 4

What can responsible recycling of e-waste address?

Answer 4

1. Reduce the potential for chemical leakage
2. Enable the recovery of valuable metals
3. Reduce the ned for mining

Question 5

What are the environmental issues of short replacement cycles?

Answer 5

1. Adds to the problem of e-waste
2. More devices must be manufactured

Question 6

What does responsible ownership involve?

Answer 6

1. Keeping devices for longer
2. Buying pre-owned rather than new
3. Using energy-effcient measures to reduce power consumption