Tech to the Rescue of the Planet?
summary
Argues that current tech growth will drive massive material extraction and leave most metals unrecovered from e‑waste, noting the digital sector already uses about 10% of global electricity and emits ~1 billion tonnes CO2. Gives concrete figures like phones containing €2–3 of raw materials across ~40 metals and poor recycling that mostly recovers only precious metals, and proposes fixes such as stronger repair and modular device design, shared networks, shifting taxes from labor to resources, using public procurement as leverage, and behavioral limits on needless video quality and device churn.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (7)
- 0:00Tech challenges
- 3:52Resource extraction
- 8:03Digital systems impact
- 13:28Technological sobriety
- 16:17Techno-discernment limits
- 19:30Regulation and taxation
- 22:44Tech solutions
related talks
27mCan tech kill or save the planet?
29mA world dosed on metals
45m“Digital Technology and the Environment” or “We Could Have Saved the Bees, We Chose to Release a New iPhone”
28mSustainable IT : Connect the Dots to a Greener Future
39mCutting the Digital Environmental Footprint by 4
41mWhy Is the Digital Future Responsible?
55mCode that Won't Heat the Planet: Engineering Sustainable Software for a Better Future
01h 10mThe Environmental Impact of Digital Technology: Myths, Realities and Useful Actions
