Information & Communications Technology (ICT) currently accounts for 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, on a par with the aviation industry; if nothing changes, by 2050 it will rise to over 30%. The vast majority of carbon emissions over the lifecycle of a device comes from production alone (85+%). A Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) license disrupts hardware's disposal stage in the Produce-Use-Dispose linear model and enables a shift to the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle circular model. Moving to a circular economy not only prevents unnecessary CO2 emissions from the production of new devices, it mitigates the "tsunami of e-waste" filling our landfills.
Hardware and software are inextricably linked. In this talk I will provide an overview of the critical role of software licensing in hardware longevity. I will link the inherent values that come with a FOSS license -- namely, user autonomy and transparency -- to sustainable software design. I will wrap up by presenting the new and exciting "End of 10" campaign, a global initiative to raise awareness about the environmental harm of software-driven hardware obsolescence in the context of Windows 10 End of Life in October 2025, while promoting FOSS as a solution, today. [1] The goal is to call FOSS and environmentalist communities in India to join the campaign to make software, and the hardware it runs on, more free -- and more sustainable!
Software plays a critical role in hardware longevity.
The user autonomy and transparency inherent to a Free & Open Source Software license enables a circular "Reduce-Reuse-Recycle" model to software, and thus hardware. This circular model is exemplified in the "End of 10" campaign.
The "End of 10" is a global initiative to raise awareness about the environmental harm of software-driven hardware obsolescence in the context of Windows 10 End of Life, and how FOSS is a solution.