Smartphones, streaming, AI: digital tech’s outsized climate impact in Switzerland

Everyday devices and online services sap the planet’s natural resources and contribute to climate change. But there are ways to make digital life greener. More than six billion people – three quarters of the world’s population – are now online. In high-income countries like Switzerland, virtually the entire population has internet access. The Swiss spend an average of five hours and 32 minutes online per day – three times more than they did in 2011. Although the digital world may feel intangible and efficient, it’s a substantial contributor to environmental pollution and depleting the planet’s resources. As the population grows and as artificial intelligence (AI) spreads, the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on climate and the environment is rapidly increasing – as is the problem of waste from the manufacturing and disposing of electronics. “Buying a new smartphone is far from insignificant from an environmental point of view,” says Louise Aubet from ...