Module 1

Digital technologies are both part of the problem and part of

the solution
Digital technologies are part of the problem because the production, use, and disposal of
technology all have environmental costs (carbon emissions, land and water use), the application
of new technology affects previous technologies (e.g. digital obsolescence), and how technology
is designed creates behavioral and structural changes (e.g. increased consumption).

ICT can also create positive environmental impacts by:

 Creating a substitution by replacing the use of a physical resource with a

digital alternative that emits less GHG
 Optimization that reduces the use of another resource (e.g. less energy is
used for heating a smart home)
 Supporting the transition towards more sustainable patterns of production
and consumption (e.g. when it empowers behavioral change like renting
products instead of buying them)

Making tech more sustainable

Some elements, like repairability and ease of future recyclability, are law in some countries
around the world.

Other elements, like buying used refurbished devices, or using carbon-neutral packaging and
shipping, depend on business and clients' willingness to change how they shop for new gadgets.

Still other elements, like energy efficiency and lessening the environmental impact of
applications we use, are in the hands of designers and developers.

Sustainable Development Goals

One reason tech is getting more sustainable is the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs). Although voluntary, these goals are widely embraced by both governments and

businesses. The SDGs provide a valuable framework to address the most pressing global

challenges, guiding public and commercial enterprises to make positive changes in relation to

these issues.
You can find information about the SDG’s here(opens in a new tab).

Sustainable Development Goals

 Goal 1: No poverty
 Zero hunger
 Good health and well-being
 Quality education
 Gender equality
 Clean water and sanitation
 Affordable and clean energy
 Decent work and economic growth
 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
 Reduced inequality
 Sustainable cities and communities
 Responsible consumption and production
 Climate action
 Life below water
 Life on land

Another reason for tech's shift towards sustainability is environmental, social, and corporate
governance (ESG). ESG is a set of considerations that investors use to assess companies by
specifically taking environmental issues, social issues and corporate governance issues into
account.

More and more companies and investment funds are adopting programs or policies that are
aligned with various ESG measures.

ESG reporting policies have been implemented within the biggest listed companies in
the European Union, China, India, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong,
Singapore, and the Philippines.

Why would tech companies change how they operate?

Tech companies' decisions and actions are influenced by regulations and changing client needs.

The European Union has implemented the "right to repair", as previously, many manufacturers
made it deliberately difficult to repair digital devices. Similar legislation is moving towards
approval in India and the US (a few states in the US have already implemented such policies).

The "right to repair" is the idea that consumers should have access to the necessary information,
tools, and parts to repair their own electronic devices or appliances. This concept aims to reduce
waste, save money, and promote sustainability by encouraging people to fix their devices instead
of replacing them with new ones.
There is also a growing movement around digital ecology. More and more people are opting for
used devices or low tech alternatives to some services, like using downloaded media instead of
streaming.
We expect to see millions of new jobs created globally in the next decade driven by new climate
policies and commitments.
Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn Chief Executive
Growing demand for green and greening jobs

1.
2.

Growing demand for green skills, ranging from engineering and design, to managing sustainable
transformations, is already happening in many sectors. Not only engineers are needed for green
transformation. Sustainability manager is the fastest growing jobs, and many unexpected sectors
like fashion and finance have high demand for employees with green skills.

While overall hiring slowed globally between February 2022 and February 2023, job posts
requiring at least one green skill have grown by a median of 15.2% over the same period,
according to the LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report 2023(opens in a new tab).

You can also check hiring trends for "green", "greening" and "with greening potential" jobs in
your region or industry by playing with the data of the 2022 edition of LinkedIn’s Global Green
Skills Report.(opens in a new tab)
How does technology impact the environment?
As of July 2023, the earth had 8,05 billion inhabitants, 63.5% of whom were internet
users. Between 2000 and 2020, the number of internet users multiplied by 6 in Europe, by 21 in
Asia and by 139 in Africa.

An individual email is responsible for anywhere from 0.03g to 26g of CO2e (carbon dioxide
equivalent).

An average Google search is responsible for 0.192g CO2e according to a study on search
engines published by Greenspector in 2020(opens in a new tab).

The CO2e produced from an hour of streaming varies even more depending on the device being
used. A 50-inch LED television consumes much more electricity than a smartphone (about 100
times more) or laptop (about 5 times more).

Individually these don’t sound like much until you scale it to 5 billion internet users who are
writing emails, searching inboxes, streaming music and movies and videoconferencing with
friends and co-workers.
Average number of digital devices and connections per
person worldwide in 2023
%
 Devices and connections per capita
Source: Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018–2023).(opens in a new tab)

To power that we need a lot of electricity...

Because the ICT sector is highly electrified, the carbon footprint associated with ICT energy use
depends largely on the energy sources it uses. It is increasingly powered by renewable electricity
sources but also rapidly growing, which requires not only electricity but also land, water and rare
minerals.

Some estimates suggest that ICT (including TVs) constitutes 1.8-2.8% of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions globally (1.0-1.7 GtCO2e). Generating that amount of energy emits as much carbon
dioxide (CO2) as the aviation industry.

Source: “Lean ICT: Towards digital sobriety (opens in a new tab)”, The Shift Project, 2019
Current and projected global carbon footprint of the ICT
sector in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Percentage
Year
Chart Values are taken from three recent studies reviewed in the article The real climate and
transformative impact of ICT: A critique of estimates, trends, and regulations.(opens in a new
tab)
Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Emissions of the ICT Sector
Displays
Notebooks
Desktops
Communication Networks
Data Centres
Smartphones
CONTINUE
The digital product life cycle
The product life cycle of a typical digital device (eg. smartphone) includes:

 Raw material extraction

 Production
 Use
 Disposal recycling

During the entire life cycle of a device, numerous resources and lots of energy are
consumed. Cumulative consumption and GHG emissions (without the net weight of the
device) is sometimes called the "ecological rucksack", a comparative measure that can be
used to calculate the natural consumption of a device.
Is tech as an optimization tool enough?
We have passed the point of being able to only reduce carbon emissions to prevent the most
catastrophic effects of climate change. Current technologies can help optimize current emissions
but they can't stop emissions in the first place (e.g. reduce consumption). Tech solutions can help
remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but they are far from the scale needed to cause real impact,
and many others are still unproven.

It is important to understand different carbon targets declared by companies, organisations, and

governments and how different technologies can influence those targets.
Risks and limitations
Lowering emissions from digital devices and infrastructure, and using innovative solutions like
Artificial Intelligence to improve how other sectors tackle GHG emissions will never be enough
to stop or even mitigate all the effects of climate change.

Both businesses and individuals will have to embrace specific restraints on activities and
resources such as frequent flying, cheap international shipping, use of cement, diets, etc. Change
is needed on a much bigger scale than solely our connected digital lives.
The rapid growth of our technological needs poses risks outside energy consumption. While the
ICT sector is the biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy, at the same time, it is responsible
for the rapidly growing demand for natural resources and rare minerals. Demand for electric
batteries, wind turbine engines, semiconductors, microchips, smartphones, and other digital
devices outgrow existing mining capacity for many minerals. Current methods of extracting
minerals like lithium, cobalt, zinc, or copper are causing huge environmental harm, often in the
most vulnerable parts of the world.

Mitigating ICT impact on the environment is not only part of the sector's responsibility, but also
a growing legal requirement. You will learn more about this in the elective module on carbon
accounting.

Internet, VOD: with EcoTree, contribute to the environment

http://ecotree.green/en/calculate-digital-co2

Activity 1:

Use this calculator(opens in a new tab) to estimate your digital carbon footprint. For

how long could your internet usage power the lights of the Eiffel Tower?
Powering our world
By IA StudioIA Studio
Energy production, consumption, and climate change
Contemporary climate change includes both global warming as well as its impacts on the Earth's
weather patterns. This is caused by human activity, in particular by the emission of greenhouse
gases (GHG), particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane.

Main sources of rapid growth in GHG emissions.

Burning fossil fuels for energy creates most of these emissions. Certain agricultural practices

(like raising livestock such as cows), industrial processes (like cement production), and forest

loss (forests store more CO2 than they release) are additional sources of GHG emissions.

Which sectors emit the most greenhouse gases?

To effectively reduce emissions we need to know where they are coming from and which sectors
contribute the most. Each sector has its nuances. Some sectors, like ICT, can reduce emissions
through innovation and replacing traditional energy sources with renewable energy sources.
Other sectors may need very different mitigation strategies, for example, the agricultural sector
could reduce its emissions most effectively by shifting away from livestock.

Explore data about emissions from different sectors. The chart below is based on Our World in
Data(opens in a new tab) and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions database.

Renewable energy sources

Globally, share of electricity production from renewables(opens in a new tab) increased from
18,2% in 2002 to 29,9% in 2022.

Solar energy, captured by photovoltaic panels, and wind energy, captured by wind turbines, are
set to contribute two-thirds of the total growth of renewable energy. China alone accounted for
almost half of the global increase in renewable energy in 2021, followed by the United States,
the European Union and India.
Emissions from travel are one of the easiest sources of GHGs to calculate. We know both how
energy efficient different means of transport are and how the energy to power them is generated.

For example, if you drive an electric car in Scotland or Costa Rica, you can be almost sure that
the electricity came from renewable energy sources.

In Costa Rica energy comes from a mix of solar, geothermal and wind. In Scotland, 97% of all
electricity in 2022 came from renewables, principally wind.
Taking the train? Why EcoTree suggests contributing to the environment.

http://ecotree.green/en/calculate-train-co2
Carbon targets
Organizations around the world are making commitments and defining targets around
how they want to change their environmental impact and lower their emissions. The
targets are quantifiable and include carbon reduction and removal goals. The Greenhouse
Gas Protocol and Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) provide standards for
companies and organizations to measure and manage their GHG emissions.

Carbon targets include:

Carbon neutrality - reducing emissions and/or paying other companies to not emit the
equivalent of their remaining emissions.
Carbon net zero - removing as much carbon as they emit.
Carbon negative - removing more carbon than they emit each year.
Carbon Emissions

In terms of CO2 emissions per passenger, the following modes of transport can generally be ranked from
lowest to highest as follows:

1. Trains: Rail travel is typically the most energy-efficient form of transport, resulting in lower CO2
emissions per passenger, particularly when electric trains are powered by renewable energy sources.
2. Combustion engine buses: Buses can carry a larger number of passengers, which means that their CO2
emissions per passenger are generally lower than those of combustion engine cars. However, this can
vary depending on occupancy rates and engine efficiency.
3. Combustion engine cars: Cars powered by internal combustion engines emit more CO2 per passenger
than trains or buses, particularly when occupancy is low. Emissions can vary based on the vehicle's
fuel efficiency.
4. Planes: Air travel tends to produce the highest CO2 emissions per passenger, due to the significant
energy required for flight and the release of emissions at high altitudes, which can have a greater
warming effect.
5.

Several factors may contribute to a potential rise in GHG emissions from the ICT sector:

1. Growing data usage: The increasing demand for data-intensive services, such as video streaming and
cloud storage, drives the need for more data centers and network infrastructure, which consume
energy and generate emissions.
2. More connected devices: The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the expanding number of
connected devices require additional network resources and infrastructure, leading to increased energy
consumption.
3. Rapid technological advancements: New and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence
(AI), machine learning, and 5G networks, demand more computational power, which could result in
higher energy consumption and emissions.
4. Increasing e-waste: The short lifecycle of electronic devices, coupled with a lack of recycling and
proper disposal systems, can lead to an increase in energy-intensive manufacturing processes and,
consequently, emissions.
However, the ICT sector is also making significant efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by improving energy
efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and developing sustainable practices. The actual increase
in GHG emissions will depend on the success of these measures and the collaboration between governments,
businesses, and consumers to promote sustainability in the sector.
Based on the available data, the emissions can generally be ranked from highest to lowest as follows:

1. Manufacturing devices: The production of electronic devices, including the extraction of raw
materials, manufacturing processes, and transportation, is energy-intensive and generates a significant
amount of CO2 emissions.
 2. Data centres: These facilities consume large amounts of energy to power and cool the servers that
store and process data, contributing to substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Use of devices: The energy consumption during the use of electronic devices, such as computers,
smartphones, and tablets, generates emissions depending on the energy sources used and the
efficiency of the devices.
4. Use of network (connecting devices): Although network infrastructure requires energy to operate and
maintain, its emissions tend to be lower in comparison to the other elements listed.
5. Activity 3:
6. Test your personal or company website (or any other website you often visit)

using www.websitecarbon.com(opens in a new tab).

7. Take note of the improvements that are proposed to lower its carbon footprint.

8. How clean (or not) is your website?

To calculate the energy usage and emissions of a web page, carbon calculators use:

 Data transfer through the wires.

 Energy intensity of web data (electricity used to transmit data through the internet, can be
higher for different services, like streaming)
 Energy source(s) used by the data center (renewables or not).
 Carbon intensity of electricity (how many grams of CO2 are released to produce a
kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity, which depends on local energy sources).
 Website traffic.
How does it impact cities?
Climate change threatens the health and wellbeing of humans due to issues such as food and
water scarcity, increased flooding, extreme heat, more disease, and economic loss.

Global warming makes cities warmer. Urbanisation intensifies this process even more by
creating so called "urban heat islands", which lead to low humidity and poor air quality and
therefore increased health risks.

Architecture and city planning can amplify or mitigate some of those risks.
Impacts of climate change on the urban environment

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Chart adapted from Australian Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environmen(opens in a new tab)t under CC BY 3.0
licence.

How does it impact biodiversity?

Global warming is not the only threat to nature. The resulting climate change is having a
significant impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the biodiversity they support.

Rainforests are significant sinks for carbon and the Amazon is one of the most biologically
diverse places on the planet and is an enormous store of carbon – up to 100 billion tons.
Safeguarding these natural carbon sinks from further damage is an important part of limiting
climate change.
Impacts of climate change
on biodiversity

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Chart adapted from Australian Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environmen(opens in a new tab)t under CC BY 3.0
licence.
"If the quantity of carbonic acid increases in geometric progression, the augmentation of
the temperature will increase nearly in arithmetic progression."
Svante Arrhenius

Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius explained over 100 years ago that an increase in greenhouse
gases would be linked to an increase in temperature.

Although this quote does not precisely mention greenhouse gases, it refers to carbonic acid
(carbon dioxide), which is a primary greenhouse gas. Arrhenius's statement highlights the
relationship between increased carbon dioxide levels and a rise in temperature.
Key take aways
 The internet and digital technology impact climate change and contribute to a digital
carbon footprint.
 Making better digital devices and services matters in fighting climate change.
 Smartphones and websites can be made more environmentally friendly with methods
such as replaceable batteries, easy repairability, energy-efficient modes, use of recycled
materials, and carbon-neutral packaging.
  Green skills, such as sustainable engineering and design, are growing in demand, and
there is a movement towards digital ecology.
 Individuals, organizations, companies, and governments can take small steps to lower
their carbon footprint, such as reducing travel emissions, using better energy providers,
and designing more sustainable technology.
 Technology, both new and digital, has massive potential for lowering greenhouse gas
emissions and in some cases, stopping them altogether.
 Green IT companies and services in different countries are providing sustainable
solutions by using renewable energy, changing their manufacturing processes, and
helping people make better environmental choices.
What next
Now that you have reached the end of Module 1, complete the activities on your course page and
watch a video We WILL Fix Climate Change by Kurzgesagt.

We WILL Fix Climate Change! - YouTube

Module 2
Technical debt
A significant portion of the internet's total footprint, up to 40%, is from front end, created
by designers. That means design has a huge role to play in sustainable web design. It's
what we call technical debt.

Technical debt in creating sustainable products refers to the trade-off between creating a
sustainable product and meeting other technical requirements such as functionality, cost,
and time-to-market.
Make the functional unit REALLY functional
A functional unit is often a single act, for example:

 Buying a ticket
 Sending an email

As we have seen, the objective of product design is to respond to user needs. We need to
balance the desire of designers to add new features and functionality against finding a technical
solution that really meets user needs.

Good design should result in the fewest possible steps, screens and page reloads in the process of
buying your ticket or sending your email.
Continued
Mobile First Strategy
As the helpful Experience Lab BV(opens in a new tab) blog tells us, Mobile First Strategy leads
designers towards more energy-efficient, user-friendly web solutions.

It forces the owner of the website to consider the most essential content and transactions. That
way, visitors load fewer pages, which uses less energy in the process.

When you reduce the size of photos and graphics for mobile, pages will load more quickly while
using less bandwidth, which means saving more energy.
 Experience Lab BV(opens in a new tab) also recommends for all web design to:

 Choose a green hosting provider.

 Set a page weight budget.
 Write reusable code.
 Modulise code, for ease of understanding, maintenance and resuability.
 Choose flat design (use no background imagery, gradients, or drop
shadows)
 Create shorter user journeys and eliminate barriers in UX.
 Reduce your image and video size as much as possible.
 Consider dark color palettes (lower on energy use) rather than light
colors.
 Avoid custom fonts and multiple fonts.
 Collect data in an efficient, upfront way.


The Green Web Directory - Green Web Foundation (thegreenwebfoundation.org)
Ecograder

CO2.js - Green Web Foundation (thegreenwebfoundation.org)

https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en
https://globemallow.io/#something
https://ecoping.earth/indexes/
https://www.ilo.org/brussels/information-resources/news/WCMS_785635/lang--en/
index.htm#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20latest%20assessment%20of%20the%20ILO,create
%20some%2020.5%20million%20additional%20jobs%20by%202030.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/coronavirus-tracking-how-the-worlds-green-recovery-plans-aim-to-cut-
emissions/

Dentons - ESG regulation isn’t the same everywhere

Evolving ESG regulations - GlobalData

https://climateaction.tech/blog/how-we-improved-our-website-carbon-calculator-score-from-59-to-84/

https://climateaction.tech/blog/how-we-improved-our-website-carbon-calculator-score-from-59-to-84/

https://sustainablewebdesign.org/

https://ecograder.com/
https://pagespeed.web.dev/
https://www.ifixit.com/repairability
Check how your country is planning for its green transition.

Do you know what kinds of policies or public funding might impact your local job market?
How might they help you to up-skill and seek green jobs?

Use the CarbonBrief, Dentons ESG regulation and GlobalData Regulatory Hub websites to
start researching policies related to the green transformation in your country. Use the
search engine in your language to go even further and determine what policies are already
in place and which are planned for the near future.

Post what you learn to the forum and consider commenting on others' ideas too!