Why electric cars are not so pure – and your emails are even worse

Hybrid and electric cars can contain 20 to 25lb of rare earth metals (twice the amount in petrol vehicles).

China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases (28 per cent of the total in 2015). Ten per cent of its arable land is contaminated by heavy metals; 80 per cent of its ground water is unfit for consumption.

To make just one solar panel generates up to 70kg of carbon dioxide.

The expected increase in the number of solar panels will generate 2.7 billion tons of carbon emissions – the same as 600,000 vehicles on the road in a year. Manufacturing an electric car requires far more energy than a conventional car due to its lithium-ion battery.

The one used on Tesla’s Model S, left, is 1,199lb (544kg), 25 per cent of the car’s weight.

Every year, the electronics industry consumes 320 tons of gold and 7,500 tons of silver. Also, it accounts for 22 per cent of global mercury consumption.

The manufacture of laptops and mobile phones uses 19 per cent of global production of rare metals such as palladium, and 23 per cent of cobalt.

An email with an attachment uses as much electricity as a high-wattage energysaving light bulb does in one hour. Every hour, ten billion emails are sent – equivalent output of 15 nuclear power stations for an hour.

The information and communication technology sector consumes ten per cent of the world’s electricity, producing 50 per cent more greenhouse gases than air transport in a year.