Metaverse Could Be a Big Risk to Our Planet: Here Are Metaverse’s Environmental Impacts and Potential Solutions

The so-called ‘future of the internet’ metaverse The concept of technology is perhaps the most hot topic of recent times in the world of technology. Facebook changed its name to Meta for the sake of it and made great strides; This concept, which involves virtual universes in which we can spend our daily lives, receives investments from many people and giant companies and billions in the future, although it is still in its early stages. In fact, it looks like it will become a trillion dollar industry.

While there is new news about the metaverse every day, many people are thinking about it. doubts there is. The prediction that virtual universes will become so commonplace in the future and make astronomical investments in them makes no sense to many people. In addition to these, there is another problem that raises suspicions in the metaverse; environmental effects† The news reveals once again that the environmental impact of such technologies is a controversial topic.

What effects can the Metaverse have?

Many experts, both from our country and around the world, believe that the metaverse, which is expected to enable people to do all their work virtually in the future, will be from home. positive and negative He wants to draw attention to his aspects. Environmental engineer Prof. Dr. Mustafa Öztürk, due to situations such as heating, cooling and lighting, polluting that the substance is released into nature underlined.

Always stay indoors can reduce air quality Öztürk stated that humidity and carbon dioxide should be in conditions suitable for human health; He states that otherwise great risks could arise. However, Öztürk pointed out that most carbon emissions come from transportation and people are staying at home, just like during the pandemic, reducing greenhouse gas emissions He also states that it can lead to positive outcomes such as:

Cybersecurity experts in our country are also among those making statements about the metaverse. These people belong to the metaverse. significant energy consumption saves you can make. For this reason, there should be faster servers, which is already problematic. There may be problems in the production of chips. emphasizes. Emphasizing the need to produce alternative chips, cybersecurity expert Osman Demircan said in his statements to Anadolu Agency negative He says it could have consequences.

There will be a peak in energy consumption

Statements from around the world also reveal doubts about the metaverse, which is said to be worth more than $10 trillion in the coming years. of the metaverse virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence and blockchain The inclusion of technologies such as these reveals the levels that energy consumption can reach. Technology giant Intel also argued that it is important to reinforce the metaverse in its statements on the subject. 1000 times more stressed that it might take energy.

Research shows that the number of users with the necessary hardware for virtual reality will continue to grow in the coming years. would spend thousands of dollars on electricity† this is a big one too to carbon emissions he expected. In addition, other studies have shown that playing games causes high energy consumption worldwide and that this situation can be exacerbated when using metaverse and cloud technology.

In addition, it is argued that the development and exploitation of artificial intelligence technologies, which will grow in the future, may require a high level of computing power; This shows that thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emissions can occur. In addition, the environmental impact of blockchain technologies important to the metaverse, such as NFTs and cryptocurrencies, has been a long-discussed topic. Research has shown that worldwide Bitcoin mining in one year. consumes more electricity than Argentina had revealed. The high energy consumption in producing NFTs was also highlighted in the experts’ previous statements.

What solutions can be offered?

So, what solutions can be offered for these terrifying effects? Some companies, such as Google, have taken steps in this direction. The US-based giant company will be operating in all data centers by 2030. carbon-zero announced that he plans to switch to energy. Similar decisions came from other tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon. It showed that carbon-free, renewable energy sources are a solution to the environmental impacts that can occur.

In addition, a study conducted in recent years by the Computer Games Journal, An energy saving of 13% He said there was a way to do it. Accordingly, certain reduce the speed of hardwarecan lead to a 25% reduction in power consumption and a reduction in energy consumption.

When it comes to blockchain, many companies are considering moving to eco-friendly technologies. It is claimed that these technologies can consume much less energy than is currently consumed and cause a reduction in CO2 emissions.

In short, discussions about the positive and negative effects of the metavers, which we will hear more often in the future, continue without delay. While these technologies can be expected to be expensive, do more research and necessary solutions It would not be wrong to state that it should be provided.

For those of you saying what’s wrong with the metaverse;