Did you know that producing a computer weighing two kilogrammes (kg) requires a staggering 800kg of raw materials? Or that the energy required for data mining for bitcoins reached 121 terawatts last year – more than the amount consumed by most small countries?

These are just a few of the concerning findings of a new report into the digital economy by UN trade agency UNCTAD, which insists that the thriving sector's negative environmental impact must be taken more seriously - and slowed by investment in renewables.

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