Climate change is certainly one of the most urgent problems for the future of mankind. Is the advent of IT technology in recent decades helping to exacerbate the problem, or is digitization one of the top opportunities to mitigate the course of climate change?
The exploding production of electronics and IT systems is not a resource-friendly trend. Rare raw materials are produced with a gigantic expenditure of energy and shipped across the globe before they become a final device. The devices themselves also consume vast amounts of energy. Until recently, the production of printed circuit boards, for example, was a very “dirty” process. And increasingly short-lived purchases of newer replacement equipment, the lack of availability of spare parts such as replacement batteries, and the largely unresolved recycling and disposal issue continue to gain momentum.
On the other hand, digitization offers entirely new possibilities for trend detection and new computational models for research. Especially in the Corona crisis, individuals and companies have learned that video telephony and team collaboration from the home office can work quite well and limit travel expenses and thus the carbon footprint.
Back in 2019, “digitalmagazin” published an editorial stating that “One in two sees digitization as a problem solver” for climate change. 56% of Germans in a Bitkom survey said that climate change could be “combated by digital technologies”. 88% of the respondents were convinced of the importance of the issue, 65% even stated that “climate change is currently the most important problem facing mankind”.
The possibility of saving resources through digital processes was at the forefront. Examples cited included smart grids and digital heating technology that can significantly reduce energy consumption. Congestion and logistics processes could become extremely efficient through digital technology.
In industry, 3D printing can save resources and logistics costs. Sensors and the IoT can increase efficiencies and help prevent failures. However, all of these processes require electricity and, unfortunately, electricity generation is not yet at the level of having a sustainable positive impact on the carbon footprint.