By Alessandra Zanzi
Although education has always been essential to the advancement of society, the environmental impact of its traditional approaches is often disregarded. Significant carbon emissions and environmental deterioration are caused by physical infrastructure, transportation emissions, printed materials, and training resources. For instance, producing a single textbook requires approximately 2 kilowatt-hours of energy and 2 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.
E-learning, however, provides a sustainable alternative, largely due to the technological progress that occurred during the COVID pandemic to render remote education accessible. Without question, e-learning has the potential to be a very effective tool for bridging gaps between low-income communities, connecting distant people, and overcoming geographic obstacles to improve accessibility. Beyond these advantages for society, moreover, e-learning may also be crucial in reducing the negative effects of education on the environment.
It has been scientifically proven that the transition to digital education could lower carbon emissions and reduce consumption. In the academic world, specifically, many sources have focused on the ecological footprint of distance education: for instance, findings from Sydney University reported that distance learning courses consume 87% less energy and produce 85% fewer CO₂ emissions compared to their traditional on-campus courses.
To better understand how e-learning can mitigate the environmental footprint of education, it is necessary to examine how the various factors encompassed by education affect the environment. E-learning platforms eliminate the necessity of large infrastructures, minimizing energy use for universities and schools’ facilities. Traditional education relies heavily on expansive campuses, energy-intensive classrooms, and obsolete structures that require significant resources for maintenance. E-learning, instead, allows schools and universities to reduce energy use.
One of the most evident decreases in pollution regards the reduction of transportation: allowing for remote participation, the impact of transportation emissions is significantly lowered. By participating remotely, educators and students can avoid the carbon emissions that accompany long-distance travel and daily movements. An insightful example is provided by data regarding the Chinese CO2 emissions in 2020. The US National Centre for Biotechnology Information has estimated that the transition to online education during the pandemic in China has saved approximately 200 million tons of CO2 per year by reducing the need for physical transportation. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that paper waste made up 23% of municipal solid waste in the United States, with schools being major contributors.
By contrast, e-learning greatly reduces the need for printed textbooks and other tangible resources. E-books and online modules are examples of personalized digital learning tools that not only conserve paper but also lower emissions related to the manufacturing and delivery of conventional educational products. As with most of the innovations of our time, Artificial Intelligence plays a crucial role in the creation of ad hoc innovative systems in the field of education. AI can indeed create tailored educational materials for individualized experiences, improving efficiency and reducing the number of class hours and resources needed for teaching. Lastly, great benefits also impact the scientific sector: AI-powered virtual laboratories can replace physical laboratories’ experiments, minimizing the need for energy-intensive lab equipment.
While the environmental benefits of e-learning have been established to be numerous, it is vital to acknowledge the challenges and obstacles associated with it. More specifically, AI models rely heavily on energy-intensive data centers. To make e-learning truly sustainable, then, it is necessary to ensure that these digital platforms operate on renewable energy, so that the benefits can be maximised. In conclusion, e-learning can not only be a powerful ally in the efforts to eradicate illiteracy by overcoming socio-economic difficulties, but it can also be a valuable resource for the sake of sustainable development. Although the employment of artificial intelligence in e-learning does not come without its environmental challenges, by raising awareness on the energetic issue, the overall outcome of education on sustainability can only be positive.
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