数字经济造成环境破坏：联合国

联合国警告称，全球经济的快速数字化正在给环境带来巨大损失。这是用于为人工智能提供动力的数据中心大量使用水和能源的结果。

The rapid digitalisation of the global economy is costing the environment significantly, the United Nations has warned.

联合国警告称，全球经济的快速数字化正在给环境带来巨大损失。

This is largely due to the extensive usage of water and energy by the vast data centres that are used to power artificial intelligence (AI).

这主要是由于用于为人工智能（AI）提供动力的庞大数据中心大量使用水和能源。

While digitalisation is essential to fuel global economic growth, its environmental repercussions are becoming “increasingly severe”, the UN trade and Development Agency (UNCTAD) stated in a report on Monday.

联合国贸易和发展署（UNCTAD）在周一的一份报告中表示，虽然数字化对于推动全球经济增长至关重要，但其对环境的影响正变得“日益严重”。

The agency has called for adopting sustainable strategies in order to counter the growing environmental toll, especially in developing countries.

该机构呼吁采取可持续战略，以应对日益严重的环境损失，特别是在发展中国家。

“Digitalisation continues to move at warp speed, transforming lives and livelihoods. At the same time, unregulated digitalisation risks leaving people behind and exacerbating environmental and climate challenges,” said UN chief Antonio Guterres in the report.

“数字化继续以惊人的速度发展，改变着生活和生计。与此同时，不受监管的数字化可能会让人们落后，并加剧环境和气候挑战，”联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯在报告中表示。

He highlighted that as the reliance on digital tools increases, so does the impact on the environment, in form of depleting raw materials, consumption of water and energy, spewing air pollution and generating waste.

他强调，随着对数字工具的依赖增加，对环境的影响也在增加，包括消耗原材料、消耗水和能源、排放空气污染和产生废物。

“These impacts are worsened by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,” he added.

“人工智能等新兴技术加剧了这些影响，”他补充道。

Limited Data Available

可用数据有限

There is limited data available on how rapidly-evolving AI is affecting the environment. Therefore, UNCTAD chief Rebeca Grynspan has urged the world’s biggest tech companies to lead the way by producing standardised data.

关于快速发展的人工智能如何影响环境的数据有限。因此，贸发会议主席丽贝卡·格林斯潘敦促世界上最大的科技公司通过生成标准化数据来带头。

In response, Google has recently reported that there has been a 48 per cent increase in its greenhouse gas emissions over the five years to 2023. This is largely due to powering data centres that support AI operations.

对此，谷歌最近报告称，截至 2023 年的五年间，其温室气体排放量增加了 48%。这主要是由于为支持人工智能运营的数据中心提供动力。

Similarly, Microsoft’s latest sustainability report has showed that there is a 29 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the last year as compared to 2020. Both Google and Microsoft have made a commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030.

同样，微软最新的可持续发展报告显示，与2020年相比，去年的温室气体排放量增加了29%。谷歌和微软都承诺到2030年实现碳中和。

In the Digital Economy Report 2024 published by UNCTAD, there are several examples of the digital economy’s impact on the environment.

贸发会议发布的《2024年数字经济报告》中列举了多个数字经济对环境影响的例子。

The report has stated that the information and communications technology (ICT) sector has cause 0.69 to 1.6 gigaton of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020. This represents 1.5 to 3.2 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, comparable to the emissions from air transport or shipping.

报告指出，2020年，信息和通信技术（ICT）行业排放了0.69至1.6十亿吨二氧化碳。这相当于全球温室气体排放量的1.5%至3.2%，与航空运输或航运的排放量相当。

The report has noted that in order to produce a two-kilogram computer there is a requirement of approximately 800 kilograms of raw materials.

报告指出，生产一台2公斤重的计算机需要大约800公斤原材料。

According to UNCTAD, the demand for critical minerals like graphite, lithium, and cobalt could increase by 500 per cent by the year 2050.

据贸发会议称，到 2050 年，对石墨、锂和钴等关键矿物的需求可能会增加 500%。

It was also found that data centres had consumed 460 terawatt hours of electricity in 2022. This consumption is expected to double by 2026.

研究还发现，2022 年数据中心消耗了 460 太瓦时的电力。预计到 2026 年这一消耗量将翻倍。

The report has highlighted that in Ireland, data centre electricity use has more than quadrupled between 2015 and 2022. It now accounts for 18 per cent of the country’s total electricity consumption, and could rise to 28 per cent by 2031.

该报告强调，在爱尔兰，2015 年至 2022 年间，数据中心用电量增加了四倍多。目前占该国总用电量的 18%，到 2031 年可能会升至 28%。

Bitcoin uses more energy than Belgium

比特币消耗的能源比比利时还多

The global energy consumption of mining bitcoin, the most prominent cryptocurrency, has increased about 34 times between 2015 and 2023 to reach an approximately 121 TWh.

2015 年至 2023 年间，开采比特币（最重要的加密货币）的全球能源消耗增加了约 34 倍，达到约 121 TWh。

This puts the energy usage for bitcoin mining ahead of energy consumption of entire countries like Belgium and Finland.

这使得比特币挖矿的能源使用量超过了比利时和芬兰等整个国家的能源消耗量。

Digitalisation is key to driving economic growth across the globe. This makes its progress essential. However, there is a need for a more sustainable approach considering the environmental impact it has.

数字化是推动全球经济增长的关键。这使得它的进步至关重要。然而，考虑到其对环境的影响，需要一种更可持续的方法。