Views:796 | By: Alice Did you know most people know about the dangers of radiation and how it can harm our health, but don’t realize that radiation is also harmful to the environment..? Guess what Smartphones have revolutionised our lives but emit a lot of radiation, and when you consider that there are over 2 billion smartphones in use worldwide, it’s easy to see how this could be a significant problem.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the ways smartphones harm the environment and what we can do to help.

How Are Smartphones Bad for the Environment?
Smartphones are bad for the environment. Let’s start with the production process. 85% of a smartphone’s emissions come from production, with the most emissions-heavy part of production being the chip and motherboard.

Then there’s the issue of how often people replace their smartphones. The average lifespan of a smartphone is around two years. So in 2022, 1.4 billion phones are expected to be manufactured and shipped.

Should We Stop Using Smartphones?
So, should we stop using smartphones? Probably not. However, there are several things we can do to increase their sustainability.

First of all, let’s take a look at the materials used to make a smartphone. Most smartphones contain a whole bunch of metals, including gold, copper, silver, and palladium. And then there are the batteries, which are made of lithium and cobalt.

Mining these metals and producing these batteries is not only harmful to the environment but also dangerous to the workers involved in the process. So it’s crucial that we be mindful of how we use our smartphones and reduce our dependence on them.

However, we can take the following actions to make our smartphones more environmentally friendly:

- Use headphones or earbuds instead of speakers whenever possible

- Charge your phone using a solar charger

- Turn off Bluetooth and GPS when you’re not using them

- Delete apps that you don’t use

- Buy a phone made from sustainable materials

How Can We Reduce Our Reliance on Smartphones?

To reduce the environmental impact of smartphones, manufacturers need to increase product lifetimes, make recycling more straightforward, and make new models less often.

Consumers also play a role in reducing the environmental impact by keeping their handsets for longer.

So, what can you do to lessen the harm?

- Try not to upgrade your phone as often.

- Recycle your old phone.

- Use your phone less.

Conclusion
So, what can we do about this?

There are a few things. The first is to be more conscientious about how we use our phones. Please don’t leave them on all the time or charge them when we don’t need to. Please turn off the location Services and Bluetooth when we’re not using them. If there’s an app yo don’t use, delete it.

The second is to demand better from our phone companies. When we buy a new phone, ask for one that’s more environmentally friendly. Pressure them to develop better recycling programs and use more environmentally friendly materials