Digital technologies can both improve pollution monitoring and intensify pollution. They help people collect and analyse environmental data, but the devices, networks and energy systems that make this possible also consume resources and create waste.
How tracking works
A specific real-world example is the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite. Its sensors collect data about atmospheric pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide. This data can be processed into maps showing pollution patterns across cities and regions, helping governments identify sources, compare areas and evaluate environmental policies. The satellite is a digital system involving data, computers, networks and the internet, and the environmental context.
The benefits are not automatic. Data quality depends on what is measured, how frequently it is collected and how the results are interpreted. This illustrates systems: sensors, software, governments, industries and communities are interdependent. It also raises power questions because institutions with access to environmental data may influence which pollution problems receive attention.
| Digital technology can help track pollution by... | Digital technology can worsen pollution by... |
|---|---|
| Using satellites and sensors to measure air or water quality | Requiring minerals, energy and manufacturing to produce devices |
| Mapping pollution geographically and identifying trends | Creating electronic waste when phones, computers and sensors are discarded |
| Sharing evidence with communities and policymakers | Increasing electricity demand through data centres, networks and device use |
Impacts are observable effects, such as more detailed pollution maps or discarded electronic equipment. Implications are future opportunities and risks: better evidence may support enforcement, while dependence on digital infrastructure may increase resource use and unequal exposure to pollution.
A common misconception is that technology is automatically environmentally beneficial. In an IB response, explain both sides, name affected people and communities, and connect the example to the environmental context. Since “how” requires explanation, show the mechanism linking the digital system to the pollution outcome rather than merely listing advantages and disadvantages.
