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1CP2-P-8.1 Environmental impacts across a device lifecycle
Part 1 of 5 · 1CP2-P-8 · Environment, languages and intellectual property
Computing devices affect the environment before, during and after use. A developed examination answer links a specific activity to an environmental change and then to a consequence. Merely writing ‘pollution’ or ‘bad for the environment’ is too vague.
Students will:
- connect each device lifecycle stage to an environmental consequence
- distinguish manufacture, use and disposal impacts
- match practical mitigations to the harm they address
- make a balanced recommendation in context
Inside: 5 explanation cells, 1 fill-in-the-blanks cell, 3 multiple-choice questions and 3 written answers. 14 marks, about 45 minutes.
Series: 1CP2-P-8 · Environment, languages and intellectual property, part 1 of 5.
Shared by Coding PathwayVerified teacher
- 12 cells
- About 45 minutes
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shared 17 Aug 2026
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Environmental impacts across a device lifecycle
Computing devices affect the environment before, during and after use. A developed examination answer links a specific activity to an environmental change and then to a consequence. Merely writing ‘pollution’ or ‘bad for the environment’ is too vague.
1. Follow the whole lifecycle
Extraction can damage habitats and consume finite materials. Extraction and manufacture can also consume or contaminate water. Manufacture and transport use energy and may emit greenhouse gases. Use consumes electricity. Disposal can create electronic waste containing valuable or hazardous materials. Repair, reuse and responsible recycling can reduce some impacts, but do not remove every cost.
- extraction
- manufacture
- reuse
- use
Which is the strongest linked environmental explanation?
- AServers are bad
- BServers consume electricity; fossil-fuel generation can emit greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change
- CComputers use screens
- DRecycling is always perfect
2. Model a balanced judgement
Replacing every school computer may improve energy efficiency during use, but manufacture and transport of new devices also consume energy and materials. The best decision depends on measured energy savings, whether existing devices still meet requirements, expected lifespan, repairability and how old equipment is reused or recycled.
Explain one environmental consequence of extracting materials for computing devices.
Link extraction activity to a change and consequence.
Students type their answer here.
Explain how a data centre's electricity use may affect the environment.
Avoid assuming every electricity source has the same impact.
Students type their answer here.
Why is buying a newer device not automatically the greener choice?
- ANew devices never use electricity
- BManufacture, transport and disposal also have impacts that may outweigh use-phase savings
- COld devices contain no materials
- DRepair always increases emissions
A school can repair 60 tablets or replace them with more efficient models. Explain two factors it should consider before deciding.
Apply lifecycle reasoning to both choices.
Students type their answer here.
Examination method
For an Explain question, build a chain: name the lifecycle activity, state the environmental change it causes, then give the resulting consequence. Qualify claims when the outcome depends on the energy source or disposal route.
Which action most directly delays electronic waste while retaining a useful device?
- ARepair and continue using it
- BLeave it switched on
- CIncrease screen brightness
- DDiscard it with household waste
Route forward
You can reason across a device lifecycle with linked consequences. The next worksheet moves to programming languages and why abstraction level matters in a particular development context.