With the deployment of 5G, a major technological revolution has been announced: a transformation and progress in our use of mobile telephones and in our daily lives. However, the electromagnetic environment in which we live will become even denser.
This transition to 5G rightly worries associations and users about the consequences it will have on health and the environment.
Little Flashback
The evolution of mobile phones – Illustration by vectorpocket on freepik.com
In 1980, the first generation of mobile phones only allowed calls to be made.
The real explosion of “cellular” telephony dates back to the early 1990s with the advent of 2G.
In addition to telephone conversations, text messages were also sent. In the face of such success, new frequencies had to be offered to operators to carry all communications, and new services also appeared, such as MMS.
In 2000, the third generation arrived: the smartphone and easy access to the Internet. Then it was the turn of 4G, with a much faster connection.
5G is therefore the fifth generation of standards for mobile communication.
The new standard will offer up to 30 times the output of 4G:
Data can be received at speeds of up to 10 Gb/s.
Latency is shortened from 25 to 5 milliseconds.
This technology will allow, among other things:
More users will be able to connect simultaneously without losing connection speed. Useful for example for downloading movies or playing video games online.
An ultra-connected daily newspaper. “Smart cities” where everyday objects communicate with each other.
5G, a worrying technology
The deployment of 5G – Illustration by Mohamed Hassan on pixabay.com
In spite of these positive listings, let us now turn our attention to the points of greatest concern.
In a preliminary report published on Monday 27 January, the Anses points to a lack of scientific data on the health effects of exposure to certain wave frequencies specific to 5G.
The agency deplores a “significant lack or absence” of scientific data on the biological effects related to exposure to the frequencies above 3.5 GHz [gigahertz] on which this technology is based. The agency has established a working group on the potential effects of exposure to 5G. Specialists in biology, toxicology, epidemiology and biophysics will be working on this topic. The final report is expected in the first quarter of 2021.
As for the waves linked to WIFI, studies take time.
5G will therefore be on the market even before its health impact is known.
These doubts about the safety of these frequencies prompted the associations Agir pour l’environnement and Priartem to announce a legal action to request the cancellation of the 5G deployment. They have also posted the “Stop 5G” petition online, which has already been signed by nearly 60,000 people.
The National Health Safety Agency has just published a pre-report regretting the lack of data on the health effects of 5G. All the more reason to sign and get people to sign the petition to stop the deployment of 5G on http://stop5G.fr
stop5g.agirpourlenvironnement.org
It also highlights the expected increase in energy consumption. This “would be multiplied by 2.5 to 3 over the next five years”, i.e. a 2% increase in the country’s electricity consumption.
In addition to this is the energy required to manufacture the terminals, servers and all connected objects that would then use this technology. (Source The Shift Project in an article in Le Monde)
Indeed, the transition to 5G requires the production of new network equipment and will therefore have numerous consequences on the environment.
These productions will contribute to the depletion of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels, pollute water, destroy soil and aggravate global warming.
Since our current phones are not compatible, 5G will encourage us to renew our smartphones prematurely.
To equip ourselves more and more to access digital over-consumption, to the detriment of the planet… But the commercial and competitive stakes are enormous, and not only in France. So the connected world is getting carried away.
Deployed everywhere, without any health assessment or democratic debate, citizens have the right to ask themselves whether 5G is really progress.
