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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0986.896 2018-2020From: Sent: To: Subject: My name is Alex Tomkins. Alex Tomkins Sunday, July 26, 2020 5:20 PM Council Testimony Fwd: SUPPORT 678-20 RESOLUTION I am contacting you in regards to the construction of the 5G tower. COUNTY CLERK COUNTY 'OF HAWAI ' I -RECEIVED Time 5'"eft1 By Date JUL 2 , 6 2020 Due to environmental concerns I OPPOSE having any 5G towers built here on our Island of Hawai'i. 5G will have an extremely negative impact on: -Birds -Bees -Climate change -Future of our children Below I have information that proves my statement correct. M-1 The millimeter waves that are produced by 5G towers, specifically, have been linked to many disturbances in the ecosystems of birds. In a study by the Centre for Environment and Vocational Studies of Punjab University, researchers observed that after exposure to radiation from a cell tower for just 5-30 minutes, the eggs of sparrows were disfigured. The disfiguration of birds exposed for such a short amount of time to these frequencies is significant considering that the new 5G network will have a much higher density of base stations (small cells) throughout areas needing connection. The potential dangers of having so many small cells all over areas where birds live could cause whole populations of birds to have mutations that threaten their population's survival. Additionally, a study done in Spain showed breeding, nesting, and roosting was negatively affected by microwave radiation emitted by a cell tower. Studies show that cellular devices had a detrimental impact on bees, beehives exposed for just.ten minutes to 900MHz waves fell victim to colony collapse disorder. Colony collapse disorder is when many of the bees living in the hive abandon the hive leaving the queen, the eggs, and a few worker bees. The worker bees exposed to this radiation also had worsened navigational skills, causing them to stop returning to their original hive after about ten days. Bees are an incredibly important part of the earth's ecosystem. Around one-third of the food produced today is dependent cin bees Comm. No. 1 Ref.To: Ref. Dote11, ,2.�2 2 for pollination, making bees are a vital part of the agricultural system. Bees not only provide pollination for the plant-based food we eat, but they are also important to maintaining the food livestock eats. Without bees, a vast majority of the food eaten today would be lost or at the very least highly limited; ,Clim;ate,,change has already caused a large decline in the world's bee population. "::s�_si The impact that thea,cell _to.Wers. have-on birds and bees is important to understand, because all ecosystems of the-earth are.:i.nterconnected. If one component of an ecosystem is disrupted the whole systernwill be affected. The disturbances of birds with the cell towers of today would only increase, because with 5G a larger number of small cell radio-tower-like devices would be necessary to ensure high quality connection for users. Having a larger number of high concentrations of these millimeter waves in the form of small cells would cause a wider exposure to bees and birds, and possibly other species that are equally important to our environment. CLIMATE CHANGE The whole aim of the new 5G network is to allow for more devices to be used by the consumer at faster rates than ever before, because of th.is goal there will certainly be an increase in energy usage globally. Energy usage is one of the main contributors to climate change today and an increase in energy usage would cause climate change to increase drastically as well. 5G aims to use millimeter waves, rather than radio waves, to open new space for more devices. The smaller size of the millimeter waves compared to radio frequency waves allows for more data to be shared more quickly and creates a wide bandwidth that can support much larger tasks. While the idea of more space for devices to be used is great for consumers, this will lead to a spike in energy usage for two reasons — the technology itself is energy demanding and will increase demand for more electronic devices. The ability for more devices to be used on the same network creates more incentive for consumers to buy electronics and use them more often. This will have a harmful impact on the environment through increased energy use. Climate change has several underlying contributors; however, energy usage is gaining attention in its severity with regards to perpetuating climate change. Before 5G has even been released, about 2% of the -world's greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the ICT industry. While 2% may not seem like a very large portion, it -translates to around 860 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions: Greenhouse gas emissions are the main contributors to natural disasters, such as flooding and drought, which are increasing severity and occurrence every year. Currently, roughly 85% of the energy used in the United States can be attributed to fossil fuel consumption. The dwindling availability of fossil fuels and the environmental burden of releasing these fossil fuels into our atmosphere signal an immediate need to shift to other energy sources. Without a shift to other forms of energy production and the addition of technology allowed by the implementation of 5G, the strain on our environment will rise and the damage may never be repaired. With an increase in energy usage through technology and the implementation of 5G, it can be expected that the climate change issues faced today will only increase. The overall contribution of carbon dioxide emissions from the ICT industry has a huge impact on climate change and will continue to have even larger impacts without proper actions. In a European Union report, researchers estimated that in order to keep the increase in global temperature below 2° Celsius a decrease in carbon emissions of around 15-30% is necessary by 2020. Engineers claim that, the small cells used to provide the 5G connection will be energy efficient and powered in a sustainable way; however the maintenance and production of these cells is more of an issue. Supporters of the 5G network advocate that the small cells will use solar or wind energy to stay sustainable and green. These devices, labeled "fuel -cell energy servers" will work as clean energy -based generators for the small cells. While implementing base stations that use sustainable energy to function would be a step in the right direction in environmental conservation, it is not the solution to the main issue caused by 5G, which is the impact that the massive amount of new devices in the hands of consumers will have on the amount of energy required to power these devices. Though "claims" state that there are no direct health concerns for humans, these negative impacts on our environment will certainly effect us and the future of our children. MY NAME IS ALEX TOMKINS & I OPPOSE THE CONSTRUCTION OF 5G TOWERS ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII 3