Digital Pollution

What is Digital Pollution?

How many emails or messages do you send in a day? How many times do you scroll through Instagram or Facebook in a day? Do you pay anything for this? Is it free now? But did you know that this will be a significant problem tomorrow?

Every message you send today will come back to you tomorrow, and every time you see Social Media today can affect you in the future. But unfortunately, many adverse internets and digital industry effects are not being highlighted worldwide.

The worst polluter is someone connected to the internet. So the digital industry contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

Digital pollution is legit, something only the new generation can make it through. We read about different kinds of pollution when we were kids, but now there’s one thing added to the list.

Two Kinds of Digital Pollution Happening Today:

1. Digital Pollution because of the Internet:

Pollution caused by the internet means whoever is utilizing applications, sending emails, uploading photographs to the cloud, viewing on-demand films, and browsing through social media because most of the world’s power still comes from fossil fuels. 

The Daily use of phones and laptops generates carbon dioxide through all these small actions. Digital Pollution starts from us, so let’s take some steps to stop them.

2. Digital Pollution because of Tools:

Manufacturing new devices, changing, refurbishing, or remodeling gadgets and e-waste contribute to digital pollution as our devices grow smaller and the number of internal components increases. 

The manufacturing of gadgets has added to the environmental waste have never been higher. All companies are business-minded and don’t want you to use a product for more than a specific period.

Some Strange Facts You Didn’t Know:

  • If you send one Email, it emits 10g of CO2.
  • On average, if you watch a 30min show, it emits 1.6kg – of CO2.
  • Manufacturing a laptop will need at least 240kg of Fossil Fuels, 22kg of Chemicals, and at least 1.5 liters of H2O.
  • Publishing a photo or scrolling through a feed on Instagram may consume 1.55 grams of CO2 equivalent.
  • If you are using one hour of your time on the smartphone today, 90 kilograms of CO2 would have been emitted.

Authored by:
Abhigna Arcot
Senior Content Writer

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