Falling prices for personal computers are bad news for the environment

For computer users, there’s no bigger thrill than tossing out your old PC and upgrading to a newer, faster (and cleaner) machine. With hardware designe
rs like Intel, pushing newer, faster products every year, and new software requiring ever more powerful machines, companies and consumers have little choice but to go along.

But this rapid turnover is having a serious effect on the planet. Producing a personal computer consumes huge amounts of natural resources. A recent study by the United Nations estimates the energy required to produce a single new computer is equivalent to nearly two barrels of oil. And that doesn’t include the 22kg of chemicals or the 1,500kg of water used in the manufacturing process.

In fact, pound for pound, the process for making a car is about 500% more efficient than that for making a computer. That didn’t matter so much 20 years ago when personal computers were few and far between, but times have changed. These days, computers are found nearly everywhere and sales continue to grow. The number of PCs in use topped one billion in 2002.

Waste in production is only half the problem. Old computers, especially the monitors, are full of dangerous substances which need to be carefully recycled. The problem is sure to expand over the coming years as users replace their boxy CRT monitors with LCD flat panel displays.

Europe now requires that 70% of parts from old computers be recycled, but the study’s authors say that’s also part of the problem. The solution, they insist, is for governments and companies to encourage people to use their computers longer, and upgrade rather than replace. But considering that much of the world’s recent economic growth has come from increased spending on computers and information technology, that advice may sound like wishful thinking.