A couple of months ago, in the midst of the lockdown, several EU countries were confronted with a series of strange degradations. The victims? 5G antennas, suspected of propagating the coronavirus. 

Far from only fascinating some bored plot-lovers, 5G has been arousing passions for some time now. As it becomes yet another topic of quarrel between the US and China, it is also starting to be the favorite subject of journalists interviewing ecologist politicians, as it gives them the perfect opportunity for the very question they are dying to ask – are you arguing for degrowth ? 

So what is 5G exactly? Is it a digital revolution that will allow us to live better (connected) lives? Or is it just a convenient tool to watch pornography in elevators? And most of all, what does it mean for our planet? 

In this week’s episode – why being cautious about 5G does not mean that you’re an Amish 

5G might be a technological revolution, it still comes with considerable risks.

First, 5G represents environmental risks due to an exploding consumption of electronic devices. On top position? Smartphones, of course! Almost none of these are currently 5G compatible: if you want to enjoy high speed connection, be ready to throw your current phone away. It will inevitably lead to massive e-waste. It is even more an alarming risk that current capacities to process and recycle electronic wastes are very low. Most of these wastes will be exported to developing countries and left in wastelands, polluting the environment and harming vulnerable populations’ health. In addition to the smartphone production boom, 5G will also require the production of new antennas – don’t be scared, not to propagate the coronavirus – only because high frequencies cannot radiate far and have difficulty penetrating through buildings and walls. The consequence is that in a dense urban zone, we will need 20 times more antennas to ensure a 95% coverage. In conclusion, 5G will indisputably lead to massive electronic devices production, with all the social and ecological disasters it represents, notably with rare earths extraction.

Growing numbers of electronic devices, the Internet of Things and the predicted explosion of video gaming and streaming also let us anticipate an explosion of energy consumption. Data traffic will substantially increase and result in ever-growing data centers, which are already huge energy consumers, to say the least. In 2015, data centers located on the French territory consumed about 3 TWh of electricity, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of the city of Lyon, the second biggest French city.

5G also comes with health risks. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t want to get the issue of very scary electromagnetic waves on the table – there is no valid evaluation of them at the moment. What is to highlight is that 5G, by increasing our connectivity, is likely to increase the prevalence of hyperconnectivity-related troubles, such as addictions, sleep disorders and a lack of physical activity. Who would cast the first stone? Why go outside for a run when you can get Peaky blinders last season downloaded on your phone in five minutes from your coach?

And what about cyberthreats? As it is impossible to completely prevent the existence of “backdoors”, cyberthreat risks are real. Anyone on the network can hack it, steel data or shut it down. Therefore, even if the EU manages to build its own network, it remains vulnerable to internal and external threats, as soon as culprits are using the network. The 5G network vulnerability is all the more problematic as its uses will be increasingly strategic, as for instance with military, health and energetic uses.

Finally, 5G brings about societal risks. First, the Internet of Things -one of the 5G promises- would require massive recordings of elements of our everyday lives, hence the end of our (remaining) private lives. A very good yet frightening snapshot of what the future could be with 5G is given by the Chinese city of Xion’an: the world’s most developed based on 5G IA city. As everything up to the slightest deed is recorded, this city gives a bitter impression of George Orwell’s “Big Brother is watching you”. Secondly, 5G development would increase the gap between hyper-connected territories and territories deprived from any internet connection, hence rising inequalities within populations in service and information access.

Considering these major risks, are there valid reasons to support the development of 5G networks?

For individuals, 5G represents meaningless benefits… They would only notice a higher internet speed and no lag while gaming, sharing information or streaming videos. When it comes to truly valuable uses, e.g. eHealth, e-Education and teleworking, it appears that most of these benefits are in fact achievable thanks to 4G and the optical fiber. That is to say, that we are ready to spend billions to develop 5G before having exploited 4G and the optical fiber full potential.

At the end of the day, the decision to develop 5G is mainly economy driven. Politicians and industries see in it a new production and consumption era. 5G notably awakens many innovation fantasies such as robotization and autonomous driving. Yet, are these innovations necessary, achievable and desirable? The answer is not quite clear, but what is sure is that it is a heavy price to pay.

To conclude, not only is this race towards technological progress dangerous, it is also a never-ending overbid. Former technologies’ potentials such as the optical fiber are not even entirely exploited and we are already willing to spend billions to develop another one. As the European Union Roadmap to 5G indicates, by 2025, the 5G will not even be deployed over the whole European territory but only on roads and urban zones. However, considering how fast technological progress goes, 6G will certainly already be developed at the end of the decade… Do we want to rush in such a race that will only lead us to more consumerism and accelerated environmental destruction?

Written by: Mathis Fidaire, Misty Monteville and Pauline Pasquier