Connecting the world and beyond

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Name :	FINNEGAN, shawna
Date :	December 13, 2021
Organization :	Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Country :	Global
Job Title :
Contribution :	Summary We cannot afford to underestimate the environmental impacts of the internet and digital technologies. The large-scale extraction of raw materials, such as lithium, have devastated natural ecosystems and deepened ecological crises, particularly in the global South. Communities in the global South are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and air and water pollution caused by the production, use and disposal of electronic devices. Moreover, the internet and digital technologies are increasingly being used to censor, surveil, threaten and attack environment defenders, and to spread disinformation about the science of climate change. At the same time, the internet and digital technologies are being harnessed to raise public awareness and to advocate and act collectively for meaningful change. There is enormous potential for the internet and digital technologies to contribute to environmental justice and sustainability; however, this potential will be unrealised without addressing the root causes of the environmental impacts of the internet, and substantial investment in local community-led initiatives to monitor changes in ecosystems, collectively prepare for extreme weather, and mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. Regulation of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector can help to address the worst environmental impacts of the internet. Mitigating the negative environmental impacts of the internet and digital technologies requires precautionary approaches, greater transparency and accountability across the ICT sector, and shifting priorities towards durability, repairability and sustainability of ICT infrastructure. Innovation and collaboration to reduce the negative environmental impacts of the internet must centre the experiences of environmental rights defenders and communities most affected in order to uphold the right to a healthy environment for everyone, everywhere.
Attachments :	APC and DEF submission CWG-Internet_Environmental impacts of the internet__December2021.pdf