Page 23 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Telecom (BT), the average UK household will contain 50 connected devices by 2023. The list of
3 4
possibilities stemming from such connectivity is endless. Chapter 2

However, on the downside, these connected ‘Things’ require complex and tangible electronics in order
to communicate with one another. Furthermore, what is also not visible – and is indeed intangible
– is that by 2025, the communications industry could be using 20 per cent of the world’s electricity.
5
Globally, this figure translates to an estimated 14 per cent of emissions, which would surpass emissions
released from the aviation and shipping sectors. Behind these figures, the expansion of data centres
6 7
and the need to keep this hidden-support infrastructure cool are major factors in the generation of
carbon emissions. Consequently, investment and research in greening data centres is essential.

Almost all smart metering for homes, sensors, actuators, transducers and renewable energy
technologies require data centres, complex batteries, servers, control centres, mobile applications
and hand-held devices. It is forecasted that in 2023, more than 200 million European households will
8
have smart meters. Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) software optimization and cloud computing,
and greater connectivity of ICT devices as part of the IoT is believed, theoretically, to lead to fewer
devices (because all services are accessed from fewer devices but with greater multifunctionality),
more cloud computing inevitably means more data centres. Furthermore, it is estimated that by
2021, there will be a total of 25 billion connected devices producing an immense volume of data. It
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is also worth noting that for aesthetic purposes, these devices are predominately housed in casings
made of additional materials (such as ceramics, glass and plastics) that eventually end up in several
other solid waste streams.
While users are increasingly connecting devices to climate-friendlier renewable means of harnessing
energy such as domestic roof-top solar panels, these renewable technologies also eventually become
e-waste. Many of these technologies are difficult to recycle, and only a handful of countries have
waste legislation for the end-of-life management of solar photovoltaic panels. With little legislation
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and enforcement in place to cover the environmentally sound management of e-waste, most of
the used and end-of-life ICT equipment is managed under rudimentary conditions. It is still unclear
whether e-waste management solutions will keep up with the growing number of ICT equipment and
components. Indeed, in a report published in 2017, the UN found that 55 billion euros in materials
are lost in almost 50 million tonnes of e-waste generated annually. 11

It is essential that international standards such as the ITU-T Recommendations continue to be
developed and implemented, that e-waste management policies reflect the sustainable consumption

3 Smart Cities Association. ‘EE: Average UK Smart Home Will Have 50 Connected Devices by 2023.’
smartcitiesassociation .org/ index .php/ media -corner/ news/ 169 -ee -average -uk -smart -home -will -have -50 -connected
-devices -by -2023.
4 GOV.UK. ‘Smart Meters: Unlocking the Future.’ 31 Dec. 2018, www .gov .uk/ government/ publications/ smart -meters
-unlocking -the -future/ smart -meters -unlocking -the -future.
5 Climate Home News. ‘Tsunami of Data' Could Consume One Fifth of Global Electricity by 2025.’ The Guardian,
Guardian News and Media, 11 Dec. 2017, www .theguardian .com/ environment/ 2017/ dec/ 11/ tsunami -of -data -could
-consume -fifth -global -electricity -by -2025.
6 Andrae, Anders S.G. ‘Total Consumer Power Consumption Forecast.’ Huawei, Oct. 2017, www .researchgate .net/
publication/ 320225452 _Total _Consumer _Power _Consumption _Forecast.
7 Climate Home News. ‘Tsunami of Data' Could Consume One Fifth of Global Electricity by 2025.’ The Guardian,
Guardian News and Media, 11 Dec. 2017, www .theguardian .com/ environment/ 2017/ dec/ 11/ tsunami -of -data -could
-consume -fifth -global -electricity -by -2025.
8 ReportBuyer.com. ‘More than 200 Million European Households Will Have Smart Meters in 2023.’ PR Newswire
Association LLC, 8 Jan. 2018, www .prnewswire .com/ news -releases/ more -than -200 -million -european -households -will
-have -smart -meters -in -2023 -300578405 .html.
9 Gartner. ‘Gartner Identifies Top 10 Strategic IoT Technologies and Trends.’ Gartner, Inc., 7 Nov. 2018, www .gartner
.com/ en/ newsroom/ press -releases/ 2018 -11 -07 -gartner -identifies -top -10 -strategic -iot -technologies -and -trends.
10 Weckend, S., et al. ‘End-of-life Management Solar Photovoltaic Panels.’ International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA), IEA, 2016.
11 Baldé, C.P., et al. ‘The Global E-Waste Monitor 2017: Quantities, Flows, and Resources.’ International
Telecommunication Union (ITU); United Nations University (UNU)-VIE SCYCLE; International Solid Waste Associate
(ISWA), 2017, www .itu .int/ en/ ITU -D/ Climate -Change/ Documents/ GEM %202017/ Global -E -waste %20Monitor %202017
%20 .pdf.

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