Written by Marilyn Houser Hamm
Internet service has rapidly become discussed as “a right.” Those who do not have this service are indeed disadvantaged - particularly in less-populated, low-income, or developing countries. Internet service is, indeed, increasing rapidly across the globe, and right here in southern Manitoba. For that we are very grateful - as we carry on in this “new normal” of increasing usage, instant information, and communication.
Surviving the Covid pandemic has meant many precious hours with family and friends on both Zoom and FaceTime - and we are grateful. The vast array of streaming options provide ever-increasing availability and accessibility of great movies and entertainment which have become staples for many.
I vaguely remember life before my IPhone. Or our IMac, There are just two of us in our household at the present time, but our household runs two desktop computers, a laptop computer, two iPhones, with four other usable phones “in retirement,” a compatible printer, Roco ‘satellite streaming television, and a Fitbit watch.
The problem is, there are millions of households like ours, many with more than two persons. We all want what is available. Millions more people want what we now have and will have it in the decade to come. Our devices have become part of life and are simply “what we use.” But “what we use” comes from somewhere and what we keep must be stored somewhere.
What “The cloud” is, or who or what our internet servers are, is, for many of us, a vague something ‘out there’ that works in ways we don’t understand. But somewhere out there are powerful communication data centers owned by big tech companies which require unbelievable amounts of electricity to bring us all the services we enjoy.
Those large data centers are powered by electricity- which must be generated by something. 30% of that power in the US comes from burning coal. Coal is one of the dirtiest and most dangerous emitters of toxic chemicals into the environment. Coal ash - which does not decompose- is, in the US and other parts of the world, dammed up at the ends of freshwater lakes and rivers, leaking those toxic chemicals into waterways. Heat generated from these enormous internet hubs puts so much carbon dioxide into the air that companies are moving their operations to colder climates like Greenland, or the oceans, to assist them in emitting less heat into the environment.
It has been recently recorded that Co2 (warming) emissions are the highest in recorded human history. Beyond Co2, sulphur hexafluoride, a Greenhouse Gas that results from the production on insulators used on electrical grids, reached all-time records, doubling its increase in the atmosphere since 2003. Sulphur hexafluoride is thousands of times more potent than CO2 - a single molecule can cause 23,900 times more warming than a molecule of Co2 - and can “stick around in the atmosphere for more than a thousand years. (Common Dreams, Post, April 6, 2021).
What writers like Tatiana Schlossberg are telling us is that all of this use has consequences now, and will have greater consequences in years to come. The simple things that we can do like shutting our devices down and limiting video usage saves huge amounts of electricity and reduces the amount of warming emitted from control centres into the environment. Our wonderful opportunity here in Altona to safely dispose of electronic waste simply does not
exist in many places in the world where people dump electronics into garbage - emitting hazardous waste. In countries where precious metals used in making our electronics are sourced, workers are often not protected from harmful emissions. Illnesses, birth defects, and brain malfunction occur with no accountability or rights for the workers.
Our beautiful planet Earth is unable to sustain present patterns of human behaviour. Being mindful global citizens has never been more important. What you do matters. Please recycle your electronic waste and use technology wisely.
ACAN seeks to educate and inspire sustainable practices in our community.
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