Thursday, February 6th, 2025
Oladele (Dele) Ogunseitan, Distinguished Professor, UC Irvine
The benefits of consumer electronic products have transformed every societal sector worldwide. Investments in research and development in the electronic industry is now fueling solutions to climate change through transformation of energy systems to renewable sources which will require deployment of storage batteries for transportation and the energy grid. However, the adverse impacts of electronic waste (e-waste) disproportionately affect low-income communities and marginalized ecosystems in nations with economies in transition. For example, United Nations agencies report that 5.1 million tonnes of e-waste was shipped across international borders in 2022, of which ~3.3 million tonnes (65%) was shipped from high-income to middle- and low-income countries through uncontrolled, undocumented channels; 18 million tonnes of e-waste was managed mostly by the informal sector, where inadequate safety infrastructure means that benefits or materials resource recovery are offset by adverse impacts on the health millions of children and women who labor in polluted environments. In some cases within the U.S., prisoners are employed to disassemble process e-waste (UNICOR Electronics Recycling). Research in my group estimated that the embodied carbon footprint of new electronic products, especially information and communications technology (ICT) devices, is an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 67% ± 15% of total lifetime emissions, instigated by mineral mining, manufacturing, and supply chain transportation. We estimate that between 2014 and 2020, embodied GHG emissions from selected e-waste generated from ICT devices increased by 53%, with 580 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2e emitted in 2020. Without specific interventions, emissions from this source will increase to ∼852 MMT of CO2e annually by 2030. I will present case studies designed to avoid regrettable technological substitutions, and to develop scalable and equitable solutions for e-waste management. Increasing the useful lifespan expectancy of electronic devices by 50%–100% can mitigate up to half of the total GHG emissions. Empowering e-waste management communities with protective equipment can ensure access to safe and potentially profitable occupations. Such outcomes will require coordination of eco-design and source reduction, repair, refurbishment, and reuse. These strategies can be a key to efforts towards climate neutrality for the electronics industry, which is currently among the top eight sectors accounting for more than 50% of the global carbon footprint.
Oladele (Dele) Ogunseitan holds the title of Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine, where he led the establishment of the Program in Public Health and served as founding Chair of the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention. He held the title of UC Presidential Chair from 2019 to 2024. He serves as co-director of the World Institute for Sustainable Development of Materials (WISDOM), and co-chair of Apple Inc.’s Green Chemistry Advisory Board. He served on the State of California’s Green Ribbon Science Panel, and the State’s Advisory Committee on Community Protection and Hazardous Waste Reduction Initiative. Dele was a Jefferson Science Fellow of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He received a meritorious honor award from the U.S. Department of State for exceptional teamwork and contributions to the successful achievement of U.S. goals at the third United Nations Environment Assembly. He serves on the Hoover Medal Board of Award, and he is an elected fellow of Collegium Ramazzini.
Faculty Webpage: https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2423
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deleogunseitan/
