The increasing proliferation of computers, tablets and smartphones, coupled with their ever-diminishing lifespan, is leaving an indelible footprint on our planet. According to a European Parliament working paper, ICT technologies are currently to be attributed between 5 percent and 9 percent of global electricity consumption and about 2.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Numbers that are expected to grow, given the increase in the number of people who will have Internet access and the demand for new network-based and interconnected services.
It is in this context, therefore, that the new "ICT Electronic Devices Sustainability" call launched by ESA is being launched to search for solutions that can minimize the environmental impact of the industry by exploiting the potential benefits that space technologies-from data from Earth observation applications to information provided by the global navigation satellite system-can make available.
