Digital systems depend on natural resources for their hardware and energy, while also helping people monitor and manage those resources. The connection is two-way: digital systems consume resources but may support more sustainable use.
This is an HL-only sustainable development topic. Examine the whole life cycle of a digital system, not only consumer use.
| Life-cycle stage | Resource connection |
|---|---|
| Extraction | Smartphones, servers and batteries require lithium, cobalt, copper and rare-earth elements. Mining may damage ecosystems and local communities. |
| Manufacturing | Producing semiconductors and devices consumes energy, water and processed materials. |
| Operation | Networks, data centres and devices use electricity and cooling water; impacts vary with the energy source. |
| End of life | Discarded devices become electronic waste. Repair, reuse and recycling can recover materials. |
| Management | Sensors, satellite data and algorithms can monitor forests, water, agriculture and energy use, improving efficiency. |
A common misconception is that digital systems are immaterial because data is stored in “the cloud.” Cloud services depend on physical data centres, networks, electricity, cooling systems and mineral-intensive hardware.
System: The Fairphone 5 is a modular smartphone designed for easier component replacement and repair. Example specifics: Fairphone launched it in 2023, after the 2022 coursebook, with replaceable modules and extended software support intended to lengthen its usable life. Impacts and implications: A longer lifespan may reduce electronic waste and demand for replacement devices, but the phone still requires mined materials, manufacturing and energy. Consumers, workers, mining communities, manufacturers and governments face different costs and benefits. Concepts: It illustrates systems, because extraction, production, consumption and disposal are interdependent, and values and ethics, because responsibility is distributed across global supply chains.
In an IB response, evaluate opportunities and risks, distinguish observed impacts from future implications, and, for HL Paper 3, apply criteria such as equity, cost, feasibility and ethics.
