Print versus electronic communication; a debate ever since companies started advertising themselves as pro-environment. Banks, Telephone providers, Utility service providers, and many more have started to send bills, promotions, flyers, etc. through digital communication and customers are encouraged to save the environment by going paperless. While going paperless is considered best for the environment, it has a lot of disadvantages. Using paper is considered harmful to forests, furthermore, the main reason for deforestation is considered to be production and usage of paper. However, an in-depth analysis proves to be contradicting that belief. 

Printing is always put into the spotlight for not being ecological but digital media’s dependence on coal-powered electricity always goes unnoticed by many people. As consumers go paperless, the use of electronic media increases. Most of the energy used to power electronic media in North America comes from coal-powered plants. Coal companies are cutting trees leading to areas of deforestation and remove mountaintops to reach thin coal which seems buried deep in the mountains. As the use of digital media increases, a significant amount of technology is using energy from coal-fired electricity to power. This act is contributing greatly towards global warming. Adoption of digital media and cloud-based technology is consuming more energy now, than it has ever before. It is estimated by the end of this year, “data centers will demand more electricity than is currently demanded by France, Brazil, Canada, and Germany combined”. In 2012, more than $1 billion worth of electricity was used by networking equipment in America alone, which is equivalent to three large coal-fired power plants. Mountaintop coalmining is becoming a major cause of not only deforestation, but also destruction of ecosystems, pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases, that are contributing towards global warming.

The increased use of digital media also translates towards more devices being bought and used by more people. As the electronics industry races to make better and more advanced version of electronics, older technology is becoming obsolete, and many consumers are not recycling their electronics. Computers and most electronics contain toxic and recyclable materials. Recyclable materials like gold, palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, etc. are taken out of the electronics once it is sent for recycling but toxic materials like lead, zinc, nickel, etc. which should be handled with care, are left in landfills or sent to many underdeveloped countries. Toxic materials in electronics when released into the environment cause damage to human blood, kidneys and nervous systems. The materials from e-waste not only affect humans, but also can affect both land and sea animals. Moreover, recyclable materials like copper are extracted from the electronics by burning the devices which release hydrocarbons into the air. Lead poisoning is one of the biggest causes of deaths, in underdeveloped countries where most of the e-waste is dumped into landfill. Heavy metals eventually reach groundwater through the soil and effect the drinking and clean water that is then consumed by the many locals living near these landfills. 

Paper manufacturing has gotten a bad reputation over the years as issues with the environment have gotten more intense. Many paper manufacturing companies are using ways that would avoid harming the environment. According to the American Forest And Paper Association, more than 65% of paper in the US was recycled in 2012, making paper the biggest commodity to be recycled. Companies are using sustainable ways to manufacture paper and recycle the majority of it. Paper manufactured from the recycled fibres uses less energy and natural resources like wood, which in return decreases environmental pollution. Paper manufacturing companies have joined or launched programs for sustainable usage and production of papers like Integer Goal Programming, prevent any harm to the environment and maintain it. The paper industry has many professional certification programs to ensure the sustainability of the paper used today. Two of the more recognisable certifications are the “Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™)”. 

Many companies that advertise being green and going paperless are known to have done very less research as electronic communication has bigger impact on the environment when compared to print media. As consumers find alternatives to print media, they forget to research the effects and contribution of electronics towards global warming. Upon comparison it can be seen that while the paper industry is moving towards sustainable production and avoiding harm to the environment, the electronics industry is lacking in this . Increased usage of digital media in turn requires a lot of energy, which is contributing towards deforestation and global warming. To conclude, digital media has more negative impacts on the environment when compared to the print industry. 

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Although development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began in 1996 and was initially planned to launch in 2007 with a $500 million price tag, the project had experienced many challenges over the coming years both delaying the launch and inflating the price. Now, 25 years later with nearly $10 billion spent, this international space project featuring NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) passed its final performance testing in February and is set to launch on 31st October 2021. However, in order to fully grasp the impact that the JWST will have on our understanding of the Universe, we must first look at its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. 

Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was one of the largest and most advanced space-based telescopes sent into orbit. Hubble enjoys a clear view of the Universe free from Earth’s atmospheric interference and ; as a result, it was able to detect and examine distant stars, galaxies and other cosmic objects that were invisible to us. A total of five service missions from 1993 to 2009 upgraded the telescope which further advanced its capabilities. For 30 years Hubble has greatly assisted astronomers from around the world uncover the mysteries of the Universe. However, even a telescope of Hubble’s stature has its limitations. The primary mirror of a telescope determines how much light it can gather. The larger the mirror, the more light it can gather making even the most faint objects visible. Hubble’s primary mirror has a diameter of eight feet while the JWST has a mirror measuring at 21 feet. Furthermore, Hubble’s instrument quality and type of light wavelengths it can observe are also limited as there is only so much that can be replaced and upgraded. To summarise, Hubble has cemented itself as one of the most remarkable technological inventions created by humans and will continue to operate for the foreseeable future, but it has reached its limitations in terms of what it can observe and its successor – the JWST- is ready to embark on its mission. 

The JWST will seek to bridge the gap between what is known and unknown in the Universe. Its capabilities go beyond that of Hubble’s as its larger primary mirror will allow it to look further in the past and inside stellar dust clouds where new stars and galaxies form. Moreover, the JWST will be able to observe more closely the moments right after the Big Bang and hunt for the first galaxies formed that were otherwise invisible to us. Additionally, one of the most prominent features of the JWST is its tennis court-sized sunshield which will reduce the sun’s heat by a million times. The purpose of the sunshield is to keep the mirror and the instruments as cold as possible, since if the Sun were to heat them up, they would emit their own infrared radiation. This becomes problematic as it would drown out the faint infrared radiation from distant galaxies the telescope was built to detect. 

Once in orbit, the JWST will be utilised by thousands of astronomers to extend and complement the discoveries of its predecessors. It will seek to unlock the remaining mysteries of the Universe and answer questions that have puzzled astronomers for centuries. It will search the deepest voids of space and time – to answer questions about the origins of galaxies, stars and their planets. Additionally, it will provide astronomers with a clearer sense of the fate of the Universe and everything within it. Therefore, not only is the JWST a device to study the past, but consequently the future as well.

Take a look at unboxing and setup of Apple’s new AirTags, but a little different. Unboxing like you’ve never seen it before.

If you want to know what AirTags are, check out our Apple ‘Spring Loaded’ Event in 13 Minutes video and Everything Apple Announced at its ‘Spring Loaded’ Event.