5G could worsen climate change, says French government adviser

The widespread installation of fifth-generation broadband (5G) cellular networks will likely increase greenhouse gas emissions over the next ten years, according to the French High Climate Council.

The report of the independent governmental advisory body, mandated by the French Senate, revealed that the deployment of 5G in France would result in between 2.7 and 6.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2030. This is an increase significant compared to the current total environmental impact of the technology sector – around 15 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

The main impact comes from the manufacture of the many components of the 5G infrastructure and the new devices that will be produced to use it. These devices use raw materials that must be extracted, resulting in more emissions.

So far, much of the opposition to the rollout of 5G towers has been for health reasons, with critics citing unsubstantiated claims that the signals hurt humans. Some internet conspiracy theories have even claimed 5G to be the root cause of the COVID19 pandemic, again without providing any evidence.

5G has become such a controversial topic in France that in September, a group of far left and green MPs in the French parliament called for a moratorium on its deployment. The Senate report seeks to substantiate this objection.

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron doubled down on his pledge to roll out 5G, saying his critics subscribe to an “Amish model of life”. “We are going to explain, debate, put an end to all the false ideas, but yes, France will make the 5G shift,” he said during a technological event in Paris in September.

Critics say the High Council’s climate report casts a wide net to encompass any emissions that could occur whether or not 5G is deployed. For example, it tracks emissions caused by the manufacture of new 5G-capable smartphones and the construction of telecommunications infrastructure and data centers. It also takes into account an expected increase in electricity consumption, assuming an increase in internet use due to the faster speeds.

The report makes recommendations on how to limit the climate impact of the 5G deployment. For example, the EU should set more stringent energy consumption requirements for electronic devices and for the infrastructure providing the Internet, she says.

Governments were caught off guard by the ferocity of objections to 5G, as there was no such widespread resistance to 4G. But unlike previous generational changes in wireless signals, the latest improvement does not allow for a specific new technology but rather simply an increase in speed. 1G calls allowed, 2G text messaging allowed, limited internet features allowed by 3G, and 4G streaming allowed

5G will allow almost instant data downloads that would take hours with today’s networks. There are concerns that being able to download an entire movie to a phone in seconds will lead to increased internet usage, which would be detrimental to both society and the environment.