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Impacts of Digital Technology - Coggle Diagram
Impacts of Digital Technology
E-Waste
Old technology is often sent to landfill and is replaced with newer versions
Toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium and arsenic can leach into the soil
Rivers and water supplies can become contaminated
Countries in the developed world have strict regulations to prevent it from being put in landfill
Electronic components have to be recycled
Some countries send their e-waste to less developed countries instead
People search for precious metals from the discarded economic goods to sell, risking their health and safety
Sustainability
Raw material used to make digital devices has to be processed, refined, transported and shaped
To make use of our existing resources, we should reduce, reuse and recycle
Recycling
Reduce
People shouldn't replace an old version with new devices
Manufacturing can be made more efficient
Reuse
People can donate old devices an others will buy them second hand
Recycle
When a devices can't be repaired, the components should be salvaged
The rest can be broken down into their base materials and recycled into new products
Energy
The rise of social networking and handheld devices has led to a much higher average daily use of electricity than the average person
This tends to produce greenhouse gases
Reducing energy use
Many modern buildings have computer-controlled systems that reduce the energy they use
Solar panels reduce the amount of energy from the national grid
Energy monitoring displays help staff to know what is using up power
Low energy LED lighting controls
Water conservation systems to help reuse water, especially in industrial factories
Smart meters help people keep track of their energy usage
Data centres
These are facilities designed to hold an organisation's IT operations and equipment
They can contain thousands of networked computers to store, process and distribute data
They use a lot of energy to run the machines
They also generate heat, which needs even more energy to control
They use 3% of the world's electricity
This impacts greenhouse gas emissions
The buildings housing them need huge amounts of concrete, copper cables and other materials
They are often located in remote areas, requiring road extensions and maintenance and increasing fuel consumption of employees
Machines are replace before they stop working to prevent downtime so they produce a lot of e-waste
Monitoring
Our planet is monitored because of our increasing concern about climate change
We use technology like satellites, sensors and weather stations
Things we monitor
state of polar ice
flow of ocean currents