Computers May Slowly Be Turning Green

Global Warming as most know is a phenomenon that is changing the climate of the Earth slowly and dramatically.  One of the primary causes is carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere which helps trap heat that the earth would normally release.  The trapped heat builds up over time and causes climate shifts across the globe.  These shifts in general mean that warmer climates can cool down, and cooler climates may warm up.  When the coldest areas on earth such as the North and South Poles warm up, the ice in these areas begins to melt.  The result is an enormous amount of new water in the Earth’s oceans, and the coastal regions will end up submerged.  Computers have been a growing part in the Global warming problem.

Coal pits, air conditioners, cars and factories are all obvious culprits in the Global Warming issue.  Computers however have gone for the most part unnoticed by many who are concerned by the environment.  A PC draws between 200 and 700 watts when left on.  Compared to an automobile commuting 2 hours a day this isn’t much, but it is much more than a DVD player or a TV.  600 watts over time will add considerably to an electric bill, and it will send a great deal of CO2 into the atmosphere over the course of a year.

 Computer components contain a considerable amount of lead.  In a single PC this is no issue at all, but when looking at computers globally it becomes a huge problem.  The computers must be disposed of somehow, which means all that lead ends up somewhere. Even if many parts find there way into reused PCs and Refurbished Laptops, landfills still have an enormous amount o lead to deal with.

Europe has begun to take the computer disposal problem seriously.  With lead-free computing the goal, several regulations are currently being established to help promote the concept of a “Green PC”.  In America, Dell Inc pledged to plant a tree for every PC they sell beginning in early 2008.  This type of environmental concern is not new to Dell.  In 2004 they started a program where they would recycle anyone’s old PC if they upgraded to Dell hardware.

PC World is currently working on a carbon neutral PC that focuses primarily on decreasing the power requirements of the computer meaning less carbon in the atmosphere over time.  While this is a strong step in the right direction, it is only a start.  Almost 75% of all the environmental damage a computer will do over its lifetime is done before the consumer turns it on according to a 2004 UN University report.  The manufacturing process PCs go through is the real environmental concern as on average 10 times the weight of the PC in raw materials will be burned through during its creation.  This is a problem bigger than the US as a great deal of hardware used in American computers is imported.  Companies such as Dell and Gateway will have to become more mindful of where the parts they are using come from, and perhaps refuse to purchase from firms that are not environmentally friendly.  This would more than likely increase the cost of computers immediately, but that may be a necessary change.