The Environmental Impact of Cell Phones
Just in time for next month’s Verizon iPhone release, we present to you a bit of thought-provoking, guilt-tripping data.
In this graphic by InfographicWorld was created for iAmGreen and brings to light some of the questions that nobody asks but everyone should. What happens to all of those cell phones that we simply stop using after we move on to the latest and greatest? How much power does it take to keep all of these cell phones running?
Is it likely that this graphic will make you toss out (in the recycling bin, of course) your cell phones and go back to the age of landlines? Of course not, but it makes for interesting trivia questions at cocktail parties.
We have a moral responsibility of saving the environment. We should have an idea about what effects we normally put on this amazing green world.
WOW! Makes you think…
We will also help the world and recycle them as well and we will also pay you for your new or old phones at http://www.swapngreen.com
This is complete BS. Not only are his calculations in error but cell-phones only use a small fraction of all generated power, and represent a mere sliver of total power use. Even if everyone reduced that, it would not result in any real savings at all because most of the power from the grid is generated at a constant rate. Here is a quote from Wikipedia :
“Baseload power plants do not change production to match power consumption demands since it is more economical to operate them at constant production levels.”
So all that energy is being generated all the time REGARDLESS of consumption level. It has to be generated so that a certain minimum level of power is available at all times. Changing the level of output is a big deal so the typically only reduce the level of generation at night, then raise it back up in the morning.
Because of constant-level production, there is actually a lot of wasted energy every day (the energy generated is not utilized 100%). If everyone got rid of their cell phones right now, less of that energy would be utilized but the reduction of demand would not be large enough to even merit the utilities making a policy decision to reduce the minimum baseload power requirement AT ALL.
I want to know when I can stop feeling guilty for being alive having a phone a car a job . And I eat animals too so I guess that really uses up energy..