Environmental Impacts of Technology
Learn Environmental Impacts of Technology for GCSE Computer Science with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style questions with worked answers for AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525). Technology affects the environment through energy use, manufacturing and electronic waste.
Free downloads
These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.
Topic overview
Technology has significant environmental impacts across its whole life, not just while it is in use.
Manufacturing requires energy and raw materials, including rare earth metals whose extraction damages landscapes and can involve poor working conditions. Devices in use consume electricity, and data centres consume a great deal — both for the servers themselves and for the cooling they require.
Disposal is the third stage. Electronic waste often contains toxic materials such as lead and mercury, which contaminate soil and water if landfilled, and is frequently exported to countries with weaker environmental regulation. Mitigations include energy-efficient hardware, renewable-powered data centres, repairing rather than replacing, and proper recycling schemes.
Revision notes
Manufacturing
Requires energy and raw materials, including rare earth metals.
Extracting these damages landscapes and can involve poor working conditions. The environmental cost is incurred before the device is ever switched on.
Use
Devices consume electricity throughout their life.
Data centres consume a great deal — both for the servers and for the cooling needed to keep them running. As more services move online, this demand grows.
Disposal and mitigation
Electronic waste often contains toxic materials such as lead and mercury, which contaminate soil and water if landfilled.
It is frequently exported to countries with weaker regulation. Mitigations: energy-efficient hardware, renewable-powered data centres, repairing rather than replacing, and proper recycling.
Key points
- Environmental impact spans the whole device life.
- Manufacturing uses energy and rare earth metals.
- Extraction damages landscapes.
- Data centres consume large amounts of electricity.
- Electronic waste contains toxic materials.
- Recycling and repair reduce the impact.
Worked examples
Example 1
State two environmental impacts of manufacturing electronic devices. [2 marks]
Working
Example 2
Explain why electronic waste is an environmental concern. [2 marks]
Working
Example 3
Give two ways the environmental impact of technology can be reduced. [2 marks]
Working
Common mistakes
Considering only the use stage.
Manufacturing and disposal are equally significant.
Forgetting data centre energy use.
It includes cooling as well as the servers themselves.
Saying recycling solves everything.
Reducing consumption and repairing come first.
Not naming specific toxic materials.
Lead and mercury are the standard examples.
Exam tips
- Cover manufacturing, use and disposal.
- Name specific materials and impacts.
- Include cooling in data centre energy use.
- Give several distinct mitigations.
Key terms
- Rare earth metals
- Materials needed for electronics, damaging to extract.
- Data centre
- A facility of servers consuming large amounts of energy.
- Electronic waste
- Discarded devices containing toxic materials.
- Recycling
- Recovering materials from discarded devices.
Related topics
Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.