The United Nations has voiced increasing concern about the serious environmental impact of digitalisation, against the background of a 20% spike in digital waste between 2010 and 2022.
Two years ago, digital waste amounted to 10.5 million tonnes, according to a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The issue of digital waste disproportionately affects developing countries. Only a quarter of such waste is collected in wealthier countries, but the figure is three times lower in developing nations.
The digital economy drives global economic growth but it also has an environmental toll, said UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan. While she encourages utilising digitalisation for the development of all countries, she also advocates responsible consumption and production online, the use of renewable energy and complete treatment of digital waste.
Ms. Grynspan believes the environmental impact of digitalisation can be improved, particularly by addressing the depletion of raw materials and the increase in water and energy consumption.
In 2020, CO2 emissions from new technologies were estimated to be between 0.69 and 1.6 gigatonnes. This accounted for 1.5 to 3.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions – a figure which, the UN agency anticipates, will rise further.
The UNCTAD Secretary-General's concerns also extend to the environmental consequences of artificial intelligence (AI), described by Grynspan as “an intense consumer of energy,” and cryptocurrencies.
The 13 main data centre operators have more than doubled their energy consumption in recent years. The energy consumption of this activity, which was equivalent two years ago to over 40 million US households, is expected to double by 2026.
