http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23251285
Are tablet devices any kinder to the environment? Is it more friendly to burn C02 in computer form, rather than internal combustion form?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
OT: Have we reached "peak computer"?
(17 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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"Are tablet devices any kinder to the environment? Is it more friendly to burn C02 in computer form, rather than internal combustion form?"
Good questions.
I'm quite sure that my handheld devices use a lot less energy in use (and life cycle) than my (ex) desktop.
BUT they also involve massively more Internet use.
Increasingly 'server farms' are solar or wind powered, but even so, not sure how 'environmentally neutral' they are!
For all the SGs enthusiasm for electric cars, they are not the future.
Posted 12 years ago # -
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_carbon_dioxide_does_a_computer_produce
My very loosely calculated computer related CO2 produced according to the very rough calculation in the above website would be: WORK(100g x 8 hours x 2 computers) + HOME(100g x 3 hours) = 1.9kg of CO2 per day
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/documents/420f11041.pdf
Car, according to figures above: 423g x 16 miles = 6.7kg of CO2 per day
Posted 12 years ago # -
Some other research puts 2 Googol searches at the same CO2 output as boiling a kettle....
Posted 12 years ago # -
Hmm, could we fit all bikes with dynamo hubs and a waterproof poweroutput? Then we wouldn't have to fit batteries to computers etc....? Obviously cycle computers/phones etc.. not those in the office.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Mobile phones, tablets etc are pretty efficient at using stored energy. Unfortunately charging any battery is not the most energy efficient process, and leaving disconnected chargers switched on at the wall is surprisingly wasteful over time. Inductive charging, which is going to be pretty standard soon enough, is even less efficient.
Mind you, since electricity is a relatively cheap resource in the western world, consequently people don't tend to think about the cost (in money or CO2) of charging things up, and the efficiency of your computer and monitor probably didn't top the league of purchasing priorities.
'Google searches' have been used for some time as a layman's comparison but actually aren't a very good metric, because Google, MS, Apple, Amazon etc etc are the most efficient players in the IT industry. Google for example has managed to get datacentre energy consumption down to almost half of the industry average. Datacentres are now being built in the arctic circle to make of naturally chilly air/water to keep things cool, which removes the need for using vast amounts of power to run aircon systems.
But yes, we now have a global economy where personal devices and the tools of our jobs still collectively produce CO2 at the back end, and we have to face that.
Economics as usual will probably drive large scale change in energy efficiency - there are a lot of vested interests in making sure that things aren't too energy efficient (internal combustion engine anyone?) - but we can all make the day-to-day personal choices.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Interesting topic.
• Will everyone in the world have a mobile / pc device eventually (and should they)?
• Can the world generate enough energy and does it have enough resources to make endless supplies of tablets etc? (Never mind about electric cars).
I don't know the answer - only that Apple have made 'only' 500 million iPhones so far. So enough for everyone in USA and a few other places.
Plenty more to sell, plenty of old ones to recycle - expect they may all end up in the lithium ion strata of civilisation.
Posted 12 years ago # -
The idea of everyone on the planet having a tablet or smartphone is much less terrifying than the prospect of everyone getting a car or moped.
Posted 12 years ago # -
The idea of everyone on the planet having a tablet or smartphone is much less terrifying than the prospect of everyone getting a car or moped.
It is far more likely though, and in terms of the CO2 increase produced over the last 30 years, computers are *probably more at fault than **cars....
*If you consider cars are producing less CO2 than 30 years ago, and computers have gone from practically nothing to multiple devices in each home, and at least one per person in most workplaces.
**That is not to say cars aren't culpable, just that they are getting better, and computers are getting, well, more...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Before we get carried away with whitewashing the transportation sector and demonising electronic gadgets, may want to check this breakdown by sector:
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2013/03/uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-rose-in-2012-decc
Note the historical perspective. How many folk had smartphones, internet, etc. in 1990? How many had a car? More than one?
Posted 12 years ago # -
More data, a few years old but pretty graphs:
A brief history of gadgets
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12058944
History of Mobile Cellular Communication
http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/history-of-mobile-cellular-communication/
I'd say running a tumble dryer instead of drying clothes in the air will eat up a lot more fossil fuels than running a smartphone.
Posted 12 years ago # -
The Scottish government's targets are highly dependent on the EU increasing its CO2 reduction targets from 20% to 30%, but that is not expected before 2016. While anxious to champion energy investment, Scottish ministers are very reluctant to target motorists or cut road building, and are accused of under-investing in home insulation and low-carbon motoring.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/28/uk-co2-emissions-up-2012
Posted 12 years ago # -
Before we get carried away with whitewashing the transportation sector and demonising electronic gadgets, may want to check this breakdown by sector:
I don't think that was my intention, just that computer/gaget use IS going to go up, and car use appears to be going down. And if we extrapolate that worldwide, people who don't have cars or computers today, I would bet will be getting computers/tablets/smartphones long before they get cars. So *if* car use continues to fall (as predicted), and gadget use continues to rise (as predicted) then we can't ignore it surely - of course we (royal we, not me personally) don't like cars on this forum, but do like gadgets (we comunicate on them to this forum and other places).
Interesting that Residential, and Business emissions rose last year while transport continued to fall - of course this was more likely to be due to another bad winter (but not as bad as the previous 2 years where usage continued to fall?), than more gadgets, but who knows.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Transport related Co2:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3085/41.pdf
Domestic transport emissions accounted for 22% (in 2009) of all Domestic emissions. Of that 22%, 58% (in 2009) was attributed to Cars and Taxis, so a rough guestimate of oh, about 10-12% of Domestic CO2 created by Cars and Taxis? Substantial yes, but not really the smoking gun... There are probably other things we should be worrying about more?
Posted 12 years ago # -
The UK only produces 2% of global CO2 emissions...
Aviation only produces 2% of global CO2 emissions...
And now, cars only produce 12% of the UK CO2 emissions...These are all typical excuses used by politicians/industry chiefs/climate skeptics to avoid doing anything to reduce CO2 emissions - "it's not us governor, it's all those others..."
The point is that everyone and every business and every sector and every country has to play its part in CO2 reduction
Posted 12 years ago # -
"
And now, cars only produce 12% of the UK [DOMESTIC only, much less as % of all] CO2 emissions...These are all typical excuses...
"Actually, I don't think that is what *I* was doing.
"
The point is that everyone and every business and every sector and every country has to play its part in CO2 reduction
"Yes, that. That's what I thought I *was* saying, admittedly in a rather abstract, and pointing out that cars are NOT THE ONLY EVIL in the world type of a way.
Computers, gadgets, CARS, all responsible.
But this forum's (generalisation) view that CARS ARE EVIL AND WE NEED TO RID THE WORLD OF ALL OF THEM is false, at least in terms of the GET RID OF CARS AND WE WILL SAVE THE PLANET notion, we won't. ;)Posted 12 years ago # -
But of course one of the primary jobs of the tablet device will be to help sell. The device isn't the solution in itself. You can of course use it for work and communication but many smartphone users shop for 'stuff' like cars, bicycles (and bigger tablet devices) which make using (and shopping) easier.
The other consequence has been the often mentioned citizen reporter. Not saying that any of this is bad but just that the 'knock on' effect of technology is further reaching than the device itself. (ie cheap city break offers to smartphones might make people fly more etc)
Anyway...typing this on my Samsung in four point type. If only I had a tablet;-)Posted 12 years ago #
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