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HN doesn't have answers because individually most of us have particularly massive carbon footprints that we're busy ignoring. Every computer, monitor, phone an

HN doesn't have answers because individually most of us have particularly massive carbon footprints that we're busy ignoring. Every computer, monitor, phone and peripheral carried a huge environmental cost to extract the resources and manufacture the goods. If you have a few laptops and desktops and some old phones and a wall of records your carbon footprint is a crater. In the last 6 years a lot of Apple users weren't inspired by the newer laptops and just clung to their old hardware for an unprecedented amount of time. This is how we can help but it's just not what we want!

imtringued 7y ago
Compared to the environmental impact of transportation those environmental costs are absolutely negligible.
- benologist 7y ago
  This data is from Apple last year. It simply is not negligible and they're one of the few trying to improve their processes. https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/notebooks/13-inch_MacBookPro_PER_June2019.pdf https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/notebooks/13-... 13-inch MacBook Pro = 210 kg carbon emissions, 77% during manufacturing and just 16% for transport https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/desktops/iMac_Pro_PER_June2019.pdf https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/desktops/iMac... iMac Pro = 1468 kg carbon emissions, about 1/2 during manufacturing and just 4% for transport
  - LyndsySimon 7y ago
    I don’t think that’s what the parent was saying. I think they were referring to the cost of transportation for the consumer, not for the product itself. The carbon emissions of burning a gallon of gasoline is about 11 kg - that’s an estimate, from a random website, so I don’t attest to its accuracy. It’s just a starting point for the following: I drive a 2000 Jeep Wrangler that gets 14 MPG. I drive about 20k miles per year, which works out to 1,430 gallons of gas or ~15,500 kg of carbon emissions. Based on this estimate, my vehicle’s fuel alone is equivalent to 75 10” MBPs per year.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - blue_devil 7y ago
      Wouldn't it be great to have the CO2 kg equivalent noted on the price tags of items/services?
blue_devil 7y ago
Actually it's worse. The Apple "environment cards" estimate only 5% of CO2 equivalent going to use of the device but that's optimistic. According to this report, about half of the CO2 footprint of devices comes from usage - mobile data, streaming. https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/unsustainable-use-online-video/ https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/unsustainable-use-onl... >>The energy consumption of digital technologies is increasing by 9% a year, and already represents% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The use of digital technology accounts for 55% of its energy consumption, compared to 45% for the production of equipment. >>We live in a world where only one form of digital use, online video, generates 60% of of world data flows and thus over 300 million tons of CO2 per year. This use is far from being “dematerialized”. On the contrary, it represents 20% of the greenhouse gas emissions of all digital devices (use and production included), and 1% of global emissions, i.e. as much as Spain.

imtringued 7y ago

Compared to the environmental impact of transportation those environmental costs are absolutely negligible.

benologist 7y ago
This data is from Apple last year. It simply is not negligible and they're one of the few trying to improve their processes. https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/notebooks/13-inch_MacBookPro_PER_June2019.pdf https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/notebooks/13-... 13-inch MacBook Pro = 210 kg carbon emissions, 77% during manufacturing and just 16% for transport https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/desktops/iMac_Pro_PER_June2019.pdf https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/desktops/iMac... iMac Pro = 1468 kg carbon emissions, about 1/2 during manufacturing and just 4% for transport
- LyndsySimon 7y ago
  I don’t think that’s what the parent was saying. I think they were referring to the cost of transportation for the consumer, not for the product itself. The carbon emissions of burning a gallon of gasoline is about 11 kg - that’s an estimate, from a random website, so I don’t attest to its accuracy. It’s just a starting point for the following: I drive a 2000 Jeep Wrangler that gets 14 MPG. I drive about 20k miles per year, which works out to 1,430 gallons of gas or ~15,500 kg of carbon emissions. Based on this estimate, my vehicle’s fuel alone is equivalent to 75 10” MBPs per year.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - blue_devil 7y ago
    Wouldn't it be great to have the CO2 kg equivalent noted on the price tags of items/services?

blue_devil 7y ago

Actually it's worse. The Apple "environment cards" estimate only 5% of CO2 equivalent going to use of the device but that's optimistic. According to this report, about half of the CO2 footprint of devices comes from usage - mobile data, streaming. https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/unsustainable-use-online-video/ https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/unsustainable-use-onl... >>The energy consumption of digital technologies is increasing by 9% a year, and already represents% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The use of digital technology accounts for 55% of its energy consumption, compared to 45% for the production of equipment. >>We live in a world where only one form of digital use, online video, generates 60% of of world data flows and thus over 300 million tons of CO2 per year. This use is far from being “dematerialized”. On the contrary, it represents 20% of the greenhouse gas emissions of all digital devices (use and production included), and 1% of global emissions, i.e. as much as Spain.