Smartphones and laptops come at a cost to the environment. Every time we scroll, tap and load or like, comment and subscribe, a server somewhere uses land, water and energy resources to keep our favorite apps operational. Before apps even come into play, making a computer requires mining rare minerals from all over the world to produce chips, batteries, displays, and more.

The climate cost of a phone or laptop can seem invisible — for some, at least. For others, the impact is happening close to home and affecting the environment in ways we may not realize.

An Invisible Planet Cost To Some, But Not To All

The internet’s hidden impact on the environment doesn’t stop at carbon emissions. There are layers to just how invisible the internet’s climate cost can be. We’ve mentioned before that, unlike gas cars, smartphones don’t exactly have tailpipes spewing harmful emissions. Data centers are one source of emissions that tend to be “out of sight, out of mind,” another is undersea cables.

Esther Mwema is a founder of Digital Grassroots, a former Mozilla Creative Media Award winner, and an activist focused on digital colonialism. Esther points to Google and Meta’s undersea cables that span the perimeter of the entire continent. “Google’s ‘Equiano’ and Meta’s ‘2Africa’ undersea cables, interestingly, are built around the African continent but not within it,” says Esther. “That means companies within the continent would have to build cables that connect to it. It also means that they don’t have to pay taxes and they’re not under any specific country’s regulation. More importantly, few are studying the effects these cables have on the ecosystem — no one is funding this research.”

Some have examined undersea cables’ effects on the surrounding area and found they can be disruptive. The Journal of Environmental Management found that installing these cables can disrupt the nearby sea bed. In addition to that, the electromagnetic field these cables produce negatively affects marine life that uses geomagnetic fields to swim through the water.

The plot thickens when we consider big tech’s upcoming cable plans. Esther points to Google’s efforts to lay fiber optic cable through Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and notes that these specific areas are also key locations for mining minerals like lithium, copper, and cobalt that big tech needs to build our devices. Going forward this could be a boon for big tech but a setback for the planet. “Its implications will be far reaching into the future and right now few are having the conversation,” says Esther.

Under The Sea, Under The Radar

Tech’s effect on the environment goes deeper than many may realize — literally, as the issue touches the ocean floor. In some ways, tech’s impact on the environment can be invisible — like emissions in the air. In other ways, the impact is more visible and happens close to home. Ask Esther and she’d tell you that funding ethical infrastructure research could make a world of difference.

The Internet’s Environmental Cost Is Literally Underwater

Written By: Xavier Harding

Edited By: Audrey Hingle, Kevin Zawacki, Tracy Kariuki

Art By: Shannon Zepeda