Page 24 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

and production of ICT equipment, and that governments and industry also consider the negative
externalities of using ICT equipment as an accelerator for climate action. Figure 4, taken from the
joint UN E-waste Coalition and World Economic Forum report: ‘A New Circular Vision for Electronics:
Time for a Global Reboot’, visualises the amount of e-waste generated every year.

Figure 4: Generation of e-waste each year 12

The above is supported by reports indicating that ICTs are by now major consumers of energy in:

a) Manufacturing and production: It is estimated that one tonne of laptops could emit up to 10
tonnes of carbon dioxide. 13
b) Usage:
o Growth in the number of consumer devices: Cisco estimates that nearly 650 million
mobile devices and connections were added over 2017. The OECD estimates that a typical
14
OECD household with two children may now have up to ten connected devices on average
per household. 15

12 Bel, Garam, et al. ‘A New Circular Vision for Electronics: Time for a Global Reboot.’ World Economic Forum (WEF); UN
E-Waste Coalition; World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD); World Health Organization (WHO),
Jan. 2019, www3 .weforum .org/ docs/ WEF _A _New _Circular _Vision _for _Electronics .pdf.
13 Gray, Vanessa. ‘Let's Rethink e-Waste, and Pave the Way to a Waste-Free Economy for Electronics.’ International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), 24 Jan. 2019, news .itu .int/ lets -rethink -e -waste -waste -free -economy/ .
14 Cisco. ‘Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update.’ 2017-2022 White Paper. 18 Feb.
2019, www .cisco .com/ c/ en/ us/ solutions/ collateral/ service -provider/ visual -networking -index -vni/ white -paper -c11
-738429 .html.
15 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). ‘OECD Technology Foresight Forum 2014 - The
Internet of Things.’ OECD Conference Centre, 11 Dec. 2014, www .oecd .org/ sti/ ieconomy/ technology -foresight -forum
-2014 .htm.

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