The DOI matches its Crossref record; 44 of the 44 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Environmental effects of information and communications technologies
Abstract
The digital revolution affects the environment on several levels. Most directly, information and communications technology (ICT) has environmental impacts through the manufacturing, operation and disposal of devices and network equipment, but it also provides ways to mitigate energy use, for example through smart buildings and teleworking. At a broader system level, ICTs influence economic growth and bring about technological and societal change. Managing the direct impacts of ICTs is more complex than just producing efficient devices, owing to the energetically expensive manufacturing process, and the increasing proliferation of devices needs to be taken into account.
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In the citing paper
“TSMC), the company that manufactures the GPUs designed by NVIDIA (among other companies), citing the complexity of their supply chains and proprietary information of its customers, also does not provide granular data for their suppliers nor their internal processes (such as chemical purification) [136]”
From From Efficiency Gains to Rebound Effects: The Problem of Jevons' Paradox in AI's Polarized Environmental Debate (2025) · cites this paper as [136]
In the citing paper
“meaning that it is impossible to carry out a full life cycle analysis of the hundreds of thousands of GPUs that are designed and manufactured each year and used to train and deploy AI models.”
From From Efficiency Gains to Rebound Effects: The Problem of Jevons' Paradox in AI's Polarized Environmental Debate (2025) · cites this paper as [136]
In the citing paper
“The rare earth minerals needed to produce computing hardware are mined in unsustainable and opaque ways.”
From From Efficiency Gains to Rebound Effects: The Problem of Jevons' Paradox in AI's Polarized Environmental Debate (2025) · cites this paper as [136]
Citations
Cites
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Halogenated Flame Retardants: Do the Fire Safety Benefits Justify the Risks?
Shaw, S. D. (2010) · Reviews on Environmental Health · doi:10.1515/reveh.2010.25.4.261 · Cited by 620
Research works printed but not linked: 8
- Williams, E. & Hatanaka, T. Sustainable consumption and the information technology revolution. Proc. First Int. Workshop Sustainable Consumption 69–75 (Soc. Non-traditional Technol., 2003).
- Hilty, L. Information Technology and Sustainability: Essays on the Relationship (Books on Demand, 2008).
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories. Missed Call: iPhone's Hazardous Chemicals 〈 http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/iPhones-hazardous-chemicals.pdf 〉 (Greenpeace International, 2007).
- Chisholm, M. & Bu, K. China's e-waste capital chokes on old computers. Reuters News Service (11 June 2007).
- Warren, P. Organised crime targets waste recycling 〈 http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jul/08/recycling-electronic-waste-crime 〉 The Guardian (8 July 2009).
- Nordbrand, S. Out of control: E-waste trade flows from the EU to developing countries (SwedWatch, 2009).
- Roth, K. W. & Kurtis McKenney, K. Energy Consumption by Consumer Electronics in U.S. Residences 〈 http://www.ce.org/pdf/Energy%20Consumption%20by%20CE%20in%20U.S.%20Residences%20(January%202007).pdf 〉 (TIAX, 2007).
- Buchert, M., Schuler, D. & Bleher, D. Critical Metals for Sustainable Technologies and their Recycling Potential (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009). This article discusses the definition of criticality of metals, recounts the use of critical metals in different technologies, and surveys the status of recycling.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–303 of 303
Lebrun, J., Toussaint, S., Wattiez, A., Cuartielles, D. J., Géczy, A., Xavier, P., & Raskin, J.-P. (2026) · Sustainability Science and Technology · doi:10.1088/2977-3504/aea32e
Simultaneous antimony recovery from and debromination of flame-retardant electronic-waste plastics
Ye, H. L., Cheng, Y., Silva, K. J., Xu, S., Zhu, H., Aina, O., Viscomi, N. L., Chen, S., Seguron, P., Liu, Q., et al. (2026) · Nature Chemical Engineering · doi:10.1038/s44286-026-00455-3
Grön IT inom Lunds kommun - En granskning av kommunens tolkning och arbete relaterat till Grön IT
Hannukka, A. (2014) · Lund University Publications Student Papers (Lund University)
Metadata
- Authors
- Williams, E.
- Affiliations
- Rochester Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Williams, Eric
- ORCID
- Williams, Eric
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2011-11
- Volume
- 479
- Issue
- 7373
- Pages
- 354-358
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2065348025
- Cited by
- 304
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 30 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 8.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Green IT and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Hardware and Architecture › Energy Efficiency in Computing
- Keywords
- information and communication technologies, environmental impact, digital revolution, ICT manufacturing, energy consumption, smart buildings, remote work, network equipment, economic growth, technological change, social change
- MeSH terms
- Conservation of Energy Resources, Efficiency, Environment, Humans, Technology, Hazardous Substances, Recycling
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