Computers and the Environment—An Introduction to Understanding and Managing their Impacts

In just two decades, personal computers (PCs) have become ubiquitous in the homes and offices of the industrialized world. Manufacturing, sales, management, medicine, etc.,—all depend on computers now to function efficiently. E-mail has become indispensable in our day-to-day communications with family members, friends, and colleagues. It is now hard to imagine life (in rich countries) without computers in one form or other. Despite the rise of a variety of new devices to deliver information services, such as the Internet-capable cell phone, there is no obvious substitute on the horizon for the key features of a PC: large display, input keyboard, and personal information processing and storage capability.