It’s that time of year again when everyone waits in anticipation for the annual fall release of the latest and greatest devices and digital applications by technology companies. Their executives are expected to pull out all the stops with hour-long showmanship-esque performances, complete with glitzy lights and spectacular marketing collateral. And the internet is abuzz with rumors about what the tech sector has in store for us. But few people are talking about the other side of the coin – the dark underbelly of the technology industry that is slowly but surely eroding our planet.

Yes, you read that right. The very industry that has given us life-changing innovations such as the smartphone and social media is also responsible for some of the most pressing environmental problems we face today. For example, a major sustainability-related tech development barely made headlines: the recent landmark EU judgment to amend the Radio Equipment Directive and mandate all mobile electronic devices to adhere to a single uniform charging port in USB-C by 2024.

The amendment is expected to reduce around 11,000 tons of e-waste in the EU alone every year. While the move is a positive step toward environmental responsibility, the unfortunate reality is that the wider technology sector is facing a sustainability crisis.

For most people, digital technology is a solution, not a driver, of our unsustainable practices. Digital applications are driving a revolution that promises and delivers transformative societal benefits. From smart cities and precision agriculture to the prospect of immersive metaverse meetings and ultra-efficient AI-enabled supply chains, the idea that digital technology will serve as a panacea for all our unsustainable practices is often touted.

Blinded by bright promises

The danger is that the promises of digital technology can blind us to its less-recognized contributions to climate woes. Emissions from the ICT sector already rival those of the airline industry. Moreover, the few studies done so far (a,b,c) suggest the ICT sector’s emissions will at least double to 2-3 GTCO₂e and if the rise in global GHG emissions is limited to 1.5˚C by 2030, contribute approximately 10% of the global GHG burden — nearly equal to that of the automotive industry. And these are cautious estimates.

This poses a dilemma not only for ICT companies, but for all technology leaders and investors across the board. It’s time for tech leaders to proactively address the sector’s sustainability challenges by critically and collectively questioning both supply and demand before its carbon footprint is set in stone, despite the near-term greenflationary impact the transition might entail. If they don’t, the secondary consequences could derail its sustainability benefits. Then, like the many industries before it, challenges could emerge in a fractured future of forced disruption.