Will EVs and AI cause environmental problems?
Many people regard pure electric vehicles as a symbol of environmental protection. However, a report points out that if the production of EVs increases excessively, it may actually exacerbate environmental pollution. The report predicts that by 2030, compared with the scenario where the production of EVs does not increase, sulfur dioxide emissions in various countries will increase by 79% in China and 19% in India...
After the 18th century, humanity achieved industrialization at the cost of causing many environmental hazards. People failed to anticipate the environmental pollution risks posed by technological innovations such as steam engines and the chemical industry, which brought harm to local residents. In the second half of the 20th century, environmental protection measures made progress. However, some scientific studies point out that if new technologies such as pure electric vehicles (EVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) become more widespread in the future, they may trigger new environmental problems, mainly in emerging market countries. Can we prevent potential problems by paying attention to the negative aspects of technological innovation?
Carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels leads to global warming. A powerful means to curb carbon dioxide emissions is pure electric vehicles, which do not emit carbon dioxide during operation. The latest models of pure electric vehicles are also very popular at auto shows around the world.
Pure electric vehicles are highly anticipated as a means to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (Beijing, 2024)
According to data released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2023, if the world is to achieve net - zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, in the automotive sector, the annual sales of pure electric vehicles need to increase to seven times that of 2022, reaching 70 million units by 2030.
Many people regard pure electric vehicles as a symbol of environmental protection. However, a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Princeton University in 2024 pointed out that "if the production of pure electric vehicles increases excessively, it may actually exacerbate environmental pollution." What's going on?
The paper predicts the amount of air pollutants generated by the production of pure electric vehicles. It analyzes two scenarios: (1) continuing the current policies in the production of pure electric vehicles; (2) the popularization of pure electric vehicles and an increase in production in China and India. The results show that if the production of pure electric vehicles increases, the emissions of sulfur dioxide generated during the extraction of battery materials may also increase.
During the analysis, it is assumed that all pure electric vehicles are equipped with batteries using nickel, etc., and are produced in China and India. It is predicted that by 2030, compared with the scenario where the production of pure electric vehicles does not increase, sulfur dioxide emissions in various countries will increase by 79% in China and 19% in India. Pure electric vehicles do not emit sulfur oxides such as sulfur dioxide, which are mainly contained in the exhaust of diesel vehicles, during operation. However, more sulfur dioxide may be generated during battery manufacturing.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that long - term exposure to high - concentration sulfur dioxide can easily exacerbate asthma or cause cardiovascular diseases. The research team from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and others pointed out that "it is crucial to re - evaluate the environmental burden of the entire supply chain (such as batteries)."
Looking back at history, innovative technologies in each era have promoted the development of civilization while also causing environmental hazards. Based on the reflection on the fact that environmental hazards have damaged the health of many people, countries have taken countermeasures. Currently, mainly in developed countries, people's focus has shifted from past environmental hazards to measures to address global warming.
However, modern new technologies may once again lead to environmental pollution that was previously overcome. Alongside pure electric vehicles, AI, which is rapidly spreading in work and life scenarios, is a prime example.
High - performance AI running on servers in data centers requires a large amount of electricity. If it relies on thermal power generation, in addition to carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides will also be emitted. During the manufacturing of semiconductor chips used in AI computing, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with a size of less than 2.5 microns is also generated in processes such as grinding.
A paper published in 2024 by the University of California, Riverside, and others estimated the amount of air pollutants generated throughout the process from chip manufacturing to high - performance AI development and data center operation.
The study shows that during the development of the large language model (LLM) "Llama 3.1" by Meta in the United States, up to 1.5 tons of PM2.5 and 13.5 tons of nitrogen oxides were generated. This is equivalent to the amount of exhaust emissions from a car traveling back and forth more than 10,000 times between Los Angeles and New York, which are about 4,000 kilometers apart in a straight line. The reason lies in the large amount of electricity and semiconductor chips used.
Some scientific studies show that technological innovation may lead to new environmental problems. Humanity has repeatedly experienced the benefits and environmental hazards brought by new technologies. Can we prevent potential problems this time? We need to use the wisdom of modern people who learn from historical lessons.
This article is from the WeChat public account "Nikkei Chinese Net" (ID: rijingzhongwenwang). Author: Yano Toshishi. Republished by 36Kr with permission.