Document Detail


Environmental implications of wireless technologies: news delivery and business meetings.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15224723     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Wireless information technologies are providing new ways to communicate, and are one of several information and communication technologies touted as an opportunity to reduce society's overall environmental impacts. However, rigorous system-wide environmental impact comparisons of these technologies to the traditional applications they may replace have only recently been initiated, and the results have been mixed. In this paper, the environmental effects of two applications of wireless technologies are compared to those of conventional technologies for which they can substitute. First, reading newspaper content on a personal digital assistant (PDA) is compared to the traditional way of reading a newspaper. Second, wireless teleconferencing is compared to business travel. The results show that for both comparisons wireless technologies create lower environmental impacts. Compared to reading a newspaper, receiving the news on a PDA wirelessly results in the release of 32-140 times less CO2, several orders of magnitude less NOx and SOx, and the use of 26-67 times less water. Wireless teleconferencing results in 1-3 orders of magnitude lower CO2, NOx, and SO2 emissions than business travel.
Authors:
Michael W Toffel; Arpad Horvath
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Review    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Environmental science & technology     Volume:  38     ISSN:  0013-936X     ISO Abbreviation:  Environ. Sci. Technol.     Publication Date:  2004 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-06-30     Completed Date:  2004-10-05     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0213155     Medline TA:  Environ Sci Technol     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  2961-70     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Haas School of Business, University of California, 545 Student Services Building, Berkeley, California 94720-1900, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Commerce
Communication*
Computers, Handheld*
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Environment
Environmental Pollution / prevention & control*
Humans
Internet*
Newspapers
Technology / trends
Telecommunications / trends*
Travel

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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