What do cell phones and laptops have to do with deforestation?
More than you might think. The metals and minerals used to manufacture many of the electronics we use every day need to be mined from the earth. As demand for materials increases, more and more land is cleared to make space for mining.
Forest destruction for mining is sweeping the globe. Tropical forests are being razed to make way for coal mines in Indonesia. Much closer to home, over 120,000 hectares of forest in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee have been lost to surface coal mining in the last 20 years.
But there’s a far better way to meet our material needs than destroying forest ecosystems.
How much forest does mining destroy?
Mining across the world has skyrocketed in the last 20 years, as manufacturers race to provide the materials for electronics and energy companies dig for coal to fuel power plants. Over the period between 2001 and 2020, a recent report estimates that the world lost nearly 1.4 million hectares of trees due to mining.
That’s a massive area – picture an area of clear-cutting three times the size of Grand Canyon National Park. And many of the trees that are being impacted are those the planet can least afford to lose. Much of the loss was in primary tropical forests.
Primary forest is habitat that has never been significantly disturbed by humanity. It’s full of mature trees and tons of biodiversity. Destroyed primary forest won’t recover in our lifetimes. We need to preserve as much of this vital ecosystem as we can before it’s gone.
The real area affected by mining-related deforestation is likely even bigger than the estimates, since the estimate did not include deforestation for mining-related infrastructure like roads and storage facilities.
We should make the technology we need without destroying forests
Most deforestation from mining is driven by coal and gold mining. But demand for critical minerals used in technology is also leading to clearing more forests for mining — and the demand for these metals is expected to rise.
As we transition from extractive energy sources such as coal to renewable energy sources, we should also be creating a circular system for the minerals needed for this transition.
There’s one humongous untapped resource of minerals that doesn’t require any deforestation or mining to access: Phones, computers, and other electronics that already exist.
By building a “circular economy” for critical minerals – one in which products are built responsibly and to last; fixed when they break; and recycled into new products at the end of their lives – we can reduce the pressure for any kind of mining, anywhere. Sending important minerals to the dump after a short time of use in a smartphone or a laptop makes no sense.
One important first step is to stop throwing important minerals away.
America produces roughly 47 pounds of electronic waste per person each year, with more than 3 million tons of American e-waste going unrecycled annually. Extending the lifetime of our electronics can help reduce the need for more minerals. Doubling a product’s lifetime can reduce material needs by as much as half.
We need healthy forests for a healthy planet
Forests are the lungs of our planet. Healthy trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, which makes them crucial allies in our race against climate change.
The climate value of forests is part of why it’s so absurd to consider chopping them down for materials for tech to help us reduce carbon emissions. Left standing, forests reduce carbon pollution on their own. It’s important that we find ways to fuel the clean energy transition while also preserving forests as much as possible.
Besides their value to our climate, forests provide invaluable resources to people and animals, too. Forests globally are crucial habitat for thousands of species, including many highly unique and endangered ones. Plus, forests give us opportunities for recreation, exploration, and so much more.
We need more forests, not less. But forests are disappearing fast, and when we cut mature forests down, they may not recover for centuries – if ever.
Take a step toward saving our forests by taking action for the right to repair
When we can fix our stuff, it’s easier to use what we have for longer and prevent wasted materials.
We need to give everyone access to the parts, tools, and service information they need to repair products by passing Right to Repair reforms. Take action to support the right to repair today:
