5G has become a popular topic in the media these days, mainly due to the vast technological advancements it will enable. Automated driving, for instance, will only be made feasible through 5G as latency rates in IoT devices will decrease to a level where cars can react to complex traffic scenarios fast enough. Doctors might be able to perform surgeries remotely through 5G and many more use cases will develop out of this technology. Overall, it is expected that 5G will reach standard speeds that are 100 times that of 4G!

What impacts 5G could have on our health, however, is seldom thematized in the news. Every connected device emits electromagnetic radiation. While the frequency of this radiation is considered relatively low, the WHO has classified all frequency radiation as “possibly carcinogenic”. Radio wave bands used for mobile networks are non-ionising, meaning they lack the sufficient energy to break through a human’s skin to break apart DNA and cause cell damage. While this sounds reassuring at first, 5G requires a lot more base stations than 4G due to its shorter reach. This will inevitably increase exposure to radiation. Moreover, part of the 5G spectrum permitted under international guidelines are considered microwave bands, which can generate heat in objects through which they pass.

While studies are yet to find evidence that 5G increases health risks, there’s also no evidence that disproves these claims. In general, due to the relative novelty of the technology most studies are still going on at the moment. Many developed countries have already started the auctioning of 5G licences to providers or even the set up of the network. Olaf Swantee, the CEO of Swiss telecom operator Sunrise recently labeled 5G a “protective force for our environment” because it could help cut carbon emissions as well as the amount of waste society generates through efficiency advancements. But let’s be honest, what else would you expect from a CEO of a telecom provider? In 2017, a petition by doctors and scientists labeled the “5G appeal” has urged the EU to impose a moratorium on 5G rollouts until reliable studies are published due to potential health risks. Furthermore, cities such as Berne, Switzerland and Brussels, Belgium blocked 5G rollout for the time being until these health concerns are reliably disproved.

In my opinion, 5G is going to arrive in any case and it’s only a matter of time until it does globally. There is no way to stop technological advancement, irrespective of potential risks because the upsides are to great. I don’t think that is a bad thing, not necessarily. Nonetheless, rolling out a technology without knowing what repercussions it could have is reckless. If we know what causes these risks, we could also find a way to mitigate them while still benefiting from 5G advancements.

Sources:
https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/5g-bad-your-health-it-s-complicated-say-researchers.html

Health and environmental concerns for 5G

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48616174

https://www.jrseco.com/european-union-5g-appeal-scientists-warn-of-potential-serious-health-effects-of-5g/

Battery-powered electric cars have increasingly garnered attention in the last ten years as a replacement for fuel-powered engines. Marketed as a revolutionary product that will cut our CO2 emissions and make cities greener, consumers and politicians alike are being told these cars are the only viable way to a greener mobility.

Electric cars, however, emit CO2 indirectly in comparable amounts to regular fuel-powered cars. The production of a lithium-ion battery for cars requires enormous amounts of energy and rare earths that are difficult to source. In fact, even though electric cars do not emit CO2 once they’re actually used, a driver of a fuel-engine car could actually drive 50’000 km before surpassing the carbon footprint of a new electric car. Even once the electric car hits the road, the energy it’s powered with has to be green in order to not emit further CO2. The amount of CO2 emitted during the production process also greatly varies depending on the production country and the predominant energy source that country uses.

Nonetheless, efficiency was never expected from the start. Engineers are constantly working on ways to improve batteries in terms of capacity, size and production just as energy consumption as a whole in developed countries is gravitating towards greener alternatives.

To truly drive innovation in this field, consumer demand and infrastructure must match this effort and create incentives for businesses. This means governments subsidizing electric car purchases and charging stations as well as consumers choosing electric cars over fuel-engined cars in spite of higher prices and lesser convenience.

Sources:

Shades of Green: Electric Cars’ Carbon Emissions Around the Globe

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-16/the-dirt-on-clean-electric-cars
https://e-csr.net/hydrogen-electric-cars-sustainability-28156/