Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science

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Want to know the carbon emissions for your Mac?

Part of the solution to climate change lies in companies being transparent when it comes to reporting their greenhouse gas emissions and Apple is a great example of how to do this right.

Apple has released its 2008 environmental report and here's a handy list I've pulled together from their report on the total greenhouse emissions for each model of Mac computer, the iPhone and the iPod: (I've listed them from best to worst)

 

iPod Nano: total greenhouse gas emissions for the entire lifecyle of a single iPod Nano is 15 kg CO22e (CO2 equivalent). To give you an idea of how much greenhouse gas that actually is, burning a gallon of gasoline in your car produces about 11 kg C022e.

Here's the entire environmental report on the iPod Nano (pdf).

 

iPod Touch: total greenhouse gas emissions= 30 kg CO22e

Here's the entire environmental report on the iPod Touch (pdf).

 

iPhone 3G: total greenhouse gas emissions= 55 kg CO22e

Here's the entire environmental report on the iPhone 3G (pdf).

 

MacBook Air: total greenhouse gas emissions = 340 kg CO22e.

Here's the entire environmental report on the MacBook Air (pdf).

 

MacBook: total greenhouse gas emissions = 460 kg CO22e.

Here's the entire environmental report on the MacBook (pdf).

 

15-inch MacBook Pro: total greenhouse gas emissions = 560 kg CO22e.

Here's the entire environmental report on the MacBook Pro (pdf).

 
20-inch iMac: total greenhouse gas emissions = 1070 kg CO22e.

Here's the entire environmental report on the 20-inch iMac (pdf).

 

24-inch iMac: total greenhouse gas emissions = 1500 kg CO22e.

Here's the entire environmental report on the 24-inch iMac (pdf).

This is all very fine and good and as I mentioned at the outset, it is important that companies are open and transparent about their carbon emissions, but as Rob Knox points out, as have many others, Apple still has a long way to go before they could be considered friendly to the environment.

What's next?

New Technical Iphone Upgrades March 20, 2009

Hi Smile

Thanks for all the information, it was much needed and appreciated.

Just as a thought, Yahoo Tech had this to say in the past week about new Iphone Features:

"The second and perhaps greater concern is the changes Apple announced earlier this week for its IPhone operating system.  Many of the features Apple is adding to version 3.0 are features that gained oohs and ahs when the pre's webOS was demonstrated at CES.  Each day that the pre is not on shelves is another day closer to the media and consumer frenzy that will undoubted accompany Apple's rollout of iPhone OS 3.0."

I help people understand the magic of their i-phones and get many enquiries about this. I would appreciate it greatly if you could perhaps shed some light on the rollout of OS 3.0.

Thanks

Marie

 

About the climate cover-up

About the climate cover-up

Democracy is utterly dependant upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.

Although all public relations professionals are bound by a duty to not knowingly mislead the public, some have executed comprehensive campaigns of misinformation on behalf of industry clients on issues ranging from tobacco and asbestos to seat belts.

Lately, these fringe players have turned their efforts to creating confusion about climate change. This PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media as well as the assent and participation of leaders in government and business.

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