How your iPhone helped fuel devastating hurricanes that killed more than 100 Americans this year
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Your iPhone may have contributed to the deadly hurricanes that battered the US this year, experts reveal. Researchers have found that smartphones generate 580 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, nearly 100 million more tons than the global aviation industry.
![[Smartphones generate 580 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. These emissions warm Earth's oceans, fostering conditions for storms such as Hurricane Milton , a Category 3 storm that struck Florida in October (pictured)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/28/15/92591005-14133397-Smartphones_generate_580_million_tons_of_carbon_dioxide_annually-a-9_1732808615449.jpg)
These emissions warm Earth's oceans, fostering conditions for storms such as Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm that struck Florida in October. 'Each step of cell phone production involves significant energy consumption,' Ravi Sawhney, CEO of global design and innovation consultancy RKS Design told DailyMail.com, 'and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn exacerbate extreme weather events.'.
![[Hurricane Milton unleashed rare tornadoes through Florida (pictured), leaving around 2.6 million Floridians without power. At least 32 Americans lost their lives during the storm]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/28/15/92590995-14133397-Hurricane_Milton_unleashed_rare_tornadoes_through_Florida_pictur-a-10_1732808615475.jpg)
Experts warned that as smartphones become more advanced with power-hungry features like AI and the tech ecosystem continues to expand, the world could see more profound environmental and weather effects unfold over the next few years. Sawhney expects future devices to place 'more strain on data centers' and 'require substantial electricity' that could come from nonrenewable energy sources.
'The increase in emissions from the expanding tech ecosystem contributes to global warming,' he said. 'As a result, we may see more pronounced climate changes, potentially leading to an increase in extreme weather events over time.'. Experts revealed that your iPhone may be contributing to deadly weather events due to carbon dioxide emissions released from every state of its manufacturing process and use.
