What’s a smartphone made of? - Kim Preshoff

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

As of 2018, there are around 2.5 billion smartphone users in the world.

截至 2018 年，

全世界有大約 25 億 智慧手機使用者。

If we broke open all their newest phones,

如果我們打開所有的最新手機，

which are just a fraction of the total that’ve been built,

那只是已經製造出來的 全部手機的一小部分，

and split them into their component parts,

再依組成的成分分開，

that would produce around 85,000 kilograms of gold,

就會產生出大約 8 萬 5 千公斤的金，

875,000 of silver,

87 萬 5 千公斤的銀，

and 40 million kilograms of copper.

以及 4 千萬公斤的銅。

How did this precious cache get into our phones,

我們的手機裡何以 有這些珍貴的暫存呢？

and can we reclaim it?

能將之回收利用嗎？

Gold, silver, and copper are actually just a few

金、銀、銅只是一小部分，

of the 70 or so chemical elements that make up the average smartphone.

其實一般的智慧手機 會用到 70 種左右的化學元素。

These can be divided into different groups,

可以將它們做分類，

two of the most critical being rare earth elements

最重要的兩類是稀土元素

and precious metals.

和貴重金屬。

Rare earths are a selection of 17 elements that are actually common in Earth’s crust

稀土元素包含 17 種元素，

在地球的地殼中很常見，

and are found in many areas across the world in low concentrations.

在全世界許多地方都可以 找到低濃度的這類元素。

These elements have a huge range of magnetic,

這些元素有各式各樣的磁性、

phosphorescent,

磷光性，以及導電性，

and conductive properties

that make them crucial to modern technologies.

讓它們在現代科技中十分重要。

In fact, of the 17 types of rare earth metals,

事實上，手機和電子產品就用了

phones and other electronics may contain up to 16.

17 種稀土元素中的 16 種。

In smartphones, these create the screen and color display,

在智慧手機上，它們被用來 做螢幕和顏色顯示、

aid conductivity,

協助導電，

and produce the signature vibrations,

並產生有明確特徵的振動，

amongst other things.

還有許多其他用途。

And yet, crucial as they are,

但是，雖然它們很重要，

extracting these elements from the earth

從地球取得這些元素

is linked to some disturbing environmental impacts.

卻會造成一些惱人的環境衝擊。

Rare earth elements can often be found,

稀土元素通常能被找到，

but in many areas,

但在許多地區，

it’s not economically feasible to extract them due to low concentrations.

因為濃度太低，粹取出它們 是很不合經濟效益的。

Much of the time,

大部分時候需要用到一種叫做

extracting them requires a method called open pit mining

露天開採的方法來取得它們，

that exposes vast areas of land.

那會讓大面積的土地暴露出來。

This form of mining destroys huge swaths of natural habitats,

這種開採會摧毀 大量的天然棲息地，

and causes air and water pollution,

造成空氣和水污染，

threatening the health of nearby communities.

威脅附近社區的健康。

Another group of ingredients in smartphones

智慧手機的另一種成份

comes with similar environmental risks:

也帶有類似的環境風險：

these are metals such as copper,

這些金屬，比如銅、

silver,

銀、鈀、

palladium,

aluminum,

鋁、鉑、

platinum,

鎢、錫、

tungsten,

tin,

lead,

鉛，和金。

and gold.

We also mine magnesium,

我們也會開採鎂、

lithium,

鋰、矽，

silica,

and potassium to make phones,

以及鉀來製造手機，

and all of it is associated with vast habitat destruction,

它們都會造成大量棲息地被摧毀，

as well as air and water pollution.

還有空氣和水污染。

Mining comes with worrying social problems, too,

開採也會帶來讓人擔憂的社會問題，

like large-scale human and animal displacement

比如人類和動物的大規模遷移，

to make way for industrial operations,

讓路給工業活動，

and frequently, poor working conditions for laborers.

通常，工人的工作條件也很差。

Lastly, phone production also requires petroleum,

最後，手機生產也會需要石油，

one of the main drivers of climate change.

它是氣候變遷的主要成因之一。

That entwines our smartphones inextricably with this growing planetary conundrum.

因此，這個地球難題 和我們的智慧手機

有著解不開的密切的相關性。

And, what’s more,

不只如此，

the ingredients we mine to make our phones aren’t infinite.

我們開採來製造手機的 原料並不是無限的。

One day, they’ll simply run out,

有一天，它們會被用完，

and we haven’t yet discovered effective replacements for some.

我們尚未找到其中一些原料 有效益的替代品。

Despite this,

儘管如此，

the number of smartphones is on a steady increase;

智慧手機的數量卻在穩定增加；

by 2019 it’s predicted that there’ll be close to 3 billion in use.

預計到了 2019 年，

使用中的手機會達到近 30 億隻。

This means that reclaiming the bounty within our phones

這就意味著從我們的手機中 回收使用這些原料

is swiftly becoming a necessity.

很快就會成為必要的工作。

So, if you have an old phone,

所以，如果你有舊手機，

you might want to consider your options before throwing it away.

在把它丟棄之前， 你可能要考慮一下其他選擇。

To minimize waste, you could donate it to a charity for reuse,

要把浪費減至最低，你可以把它 捐給慈善機構讓別人使用、

take it to an e-waste recycling facility,

把它交給電子廢物回收機構，

or look for a company that refurbishes old models.

或是找一間整修舊機型的公司。

However, even recycling companies need our scrutiny.

然而回收公司也需要我們監督。

Just as the production of smartphones

就如同手機生產

comes with social and environmental problems,

會帶來社會和環境問題，

dismantling them does too.

銷毀它們也是一樣。

E-waste is sometimes intentionally exported to countries

電子廢物有時會被刻意出口到

勞力便宜但工作條件極糟的國家。

where labor is cheap but working conditions are poor.

Vast workforces, often made up of women and children,

大部分的勞動力通常 是由女人和小孩組成，

may be underpaid,

他們的薪水過低，

lack the training to safely disassemble phones,

缺乏安全拆解手機的訓練，

and be exposed to elements like lead and mercury,

可能會接觸到像是 鉛和水銀這類元素，

which can permanently damage their nervous systems.

對於他們的神經系統 會有永久性的傷害。

Phone waste can also end up in huge dump sites,

手機廢物最後也可能會 淪落到大型垃圾場，

leaching toxic chemicals into the soil and water,

有毒的化學物質就會 流入土壤中和水中，

mirroring the problems of the mines where the elements originated.

反映這些元素原產地的開採問題。

A phone is much more than it appears to be on the surface.

一隻手機不只是它表面上 呈現的那樣而已。

It’s an assemblage of elements from multiple countries,

它是來自各國之元素的組合，

linked to impacts that are unfolding on a global scale.

連結到全球規模的衝擊。

So, until someone invents a completely sustainable smartphone,

所以，在發明出 完全永續的手機之前，

we’ll need to come to terms

我們需要接受

with how this technology affects widespread places and people.

這項技術對於大範圍 地區和人類的影響。