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Essay Available:
Pages:
4 pages/β‰ˆ1100 words
Sources:
2 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Biological & Biomedical Sciences
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 17.28
Topic:

E-waste Management and Energy Conservation. Telecommunication Industry

Essay Instructions:

GEO 103


First Essay Assignment:


Political Economy of E-Waste


and Data Centers


 


 


Assignment


Although we rarely think about it, our electronic devices—smartphones, tablets, and laptops—have an environmental impact. Part of that impact comes from the energy used to house our data. We store our data in the ‘cloud.’ But the cloud is actually data centers dotted around the world where our files, photos, and videos resides on servers.


 


The other impact is electronic waste or e-waste. Disposal of such waste is a major problem. Electronics used in Global North countries such as the United States often find their way to countries in the Global South such as China and Ghana. Since they contain lead, mercury, and other toxic metals, these cause serious hazards as they enter ecosystems and people’s bodies.


 


What if such the energy used in those data centers and the e-waste from our discarded products is not an incidental or accidental product of our capitalist system but an essential aspect of it?



  • What aspects of capitalism make such waste inevitable, perhaps even necessary?

  • What environmental justice issues arise when such products are disposed of or recycled?


 


For this assignment, answer these sorts of questions in a 4-page essay. I don’t want you to answer these questions one-by-one as if on a final exam. Rather, I want you to examine the issue of e-waste using these questions as a guide to write a coherent essay that explores the topic.


 


To answer this, you’ll need to refer to my lectures and read the “Chapter 7: Political Economy” chapter posted on Blackbox. Use concepts and terms from my lecture on capitalism and political economy as well as the political economy chapter to inform your analysis.


 


 I also suggest you consult these sources:


 


“Energy Hogs: Can World’s Huge Data Centers Be Made More Efficient?” – Yale 360


https://e360(dot)yale(dot)edu/features/energy-hogs-can-huge-data-centers-be-made-more-efficient


 


“‘Tsunami of data’ could consume one fifth of global electricity by 2025” – The Guardian


https://www(dot)theguardian(dot)com/environment/2017/dec/11/tsunami-of-data-could-consume-fifth-global-electricity-by-2025


 


“The Global Cost of Electronic Waste” – The Atlantic


https://www(dot)theatlantic(dot)com/technology/archive/2016/09/the-global-cost-of-electronic-waste/502019/


 


“E-waste: Cleaning Up The World's Fastest-Growing Trash Problem” – World Economic Forum


https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Czu3BC7SrFQ


 


“Watchdog group tracks what really happens to your ‘recycled’ e-waste” – PBS New Hour


https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=3sUT1u4WMP4


 


“Do you know where your e-waste goes?” -- CNN


https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=3PP9Pa9OqAs


 


“E-Waste: Saving Developing Communities From Our Electronic Junk” –NRDC


http://www(dot)nrdc(dot)org/living/stuff/e-waste-saving-developing-communities-electronic-junk.asp


 


 


I recommend reading and watching as many of these as you can. They will serve as the empirical foundation for your paper—the facts, figures, and information to support your arguments. The concepts from my lectures and the Political Economy chapters will give you a set of concepts to employ to better understand the phenomena of growing data-center energy use and e-waste.


 


Formatting


Your paper should be 4-pages long, typed, double-spaced, 1” margins, 12-point font. Please number your pages and include your name, the name of your TA, and your discussion section day/time. Do not use a cover sheet. Make sure to keep a backup copy of your paper saved on your computer, flash drive, the cloud etc.!


 


Also, include a title for the essay. Good titles typically have a clever, catchy, interesting part separated by a colon ( : ) followed by something more descriptive.


            Example – “The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Conflicting Views


       about Population”


 


When using print or online sources, you must cite them correctly. Cite all the material with the Chicago Manual of Style.  Guidelines for this citation style are available here:


 


Chicago-Style Quick Guide


http://www(dot)chicagomanualofstyle(dot)org/tools_citationguide.html



  • Click on the “Go to Author-Date Style”. Use the examples there to help cite the material you use in the proper format.


 


Cite the material in the text and include a bibliography.


 


In-text citation:


(CBS News)


 


Bibliography


CBS News. 2009. “The Wasteland.” Last modified August 9.   http://www(dot)cbsnews(dot)com/videos/the-wasteland-50076351/.


 


Failure to cite material correctly will result in a deduction of a ½ letter to a full letter grade.


 


Essay Submission on Blackboard


Instead of turning in a paper copy of your essay you will submit a digital copy on Blackboard. On the left-hand site of the course BB page, you will see an icon titled “Assignments.” Follow the link to the next page. Click on the link titled “Submitting - 1st Essay: Political Economy of E-Waste.”


 


On Turnitin assignment submission page, enter your first and last name. Then, enter the title of your essay. Then, click on one of the “Choose” links (e.g., Choose from Computer, etc.) and find your essay. After you have selected it, then click “Upload,” and after it is uploaded, click “Confirm.”  


 


Academic Integrity


Cheating in any form will not be tolerated, nor is assisting someone to cheat. The submission of any work in this class is taken as a guarantee that the thoughts and expressions are the student’s own unless properly cited. Breaking this policy on essay will, at a minimum, result in a failing grade for an assignment and likely a failing grade for the course. For more information, see the student section of the university’s web site about academic integrity (http://academicintegrity(dot)syr(dot)edu/). Your professor and TAs can also help you cite material correctly.


 


** Due Date **


Monday, February 11th, 11:00pm on the course Blackboard page.


(See instructions above.)


 


1/3 off letter grade for each day late


(e.g., B to a B-)

Essay Sample Content Preview:

E-waste Management and Energy Conservation from Telecommunication Industry
Name
Institutional Affiliation
E-waste Management and Energy Conservation from Telecommunication Industry
The breakthrough in the telecommunication industry, the onset of smartphone technology, and the invention of the internet can be said to be the crucial steps in solving problems that limited the human race. Throughout history, people have wanted to stay connected. Technology has broken this barrier, but one cannot ignore the adverse effects that have accompanied technological breakthroughs. Technological advancements are inconsistent with the needs of our environment. Economic output and value from technological breakthroughs are almost similar to the harm that comes from these breakthroughs, but people have decided to ignore the harm. Very few people are concerned with protecting the earth from electronic wastes and consequences that arise from data centers scattered on the globe to consume electricity and serve the insatiable appetite of consumers of electronic devices. Environmental conservation can only win when industries dealing in electronics resolve to recycle wastes and opt for clean sources of energy for powering data centers.
Capitalism is an economic system where private developers control the use of property and wealth to fulfill profit-oriented interests. In today’s age of the smartphone industry, companies have resolved to produce electronic gadgets to meet the demand of the market. People are no longer buying mobile and electronic devices such as laptops, radios, and phones to meet the purpose of staying connected. It has become a world of competition where everyone with some money wants to taste the feeling of having the most powerful gadget. According to Pearce (2016), manufacturers are using tricks to reduce the lifespan of electronic gadgets to increase the volume of sales. The main problem with consumers is that they hardly think of repairing their gadgets when they wear out. The first thought is to go for a new device with advanced features. The manufacturer is also aware of this trend and hardly thinks about the impact of electronic wastes to the environment.
The major setback with capitalist production is that it distances people from their world and the need to conserve energy and resources. Social and economic productions are inconsistent with environmental conservation efforts. Moore (2014) defines the type of capitalism that is driven by the desire to accumulate wealth and ignore the need of the earth as the first contradiction of capitalism. The problem with this form of capitalism is that private developers are aware of their consequences to the environment. They also know that they are engaging in unethical means of production by creating an imbalance between the available resources and the natural environment. For instance, carbon wastes and electronic resources can be recycled, but manufacturers hardly think of collecting the wastes once they have sold the material (Archimedes Channel, 2018). The consumer is not offered an alternative once he is done with the product. He has to choose to either dispose of the product for an alternative one with advanced features.
One of the adverse effects of the cap...
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