In a 2004 study, researchers from United Nations University found that manufacturing one desktop computer and a 17-inch CRT monitor uses at least 529 pounds of fossil fuels, 48 pounds of chemicals and 3,300 pounds of water--a total of nearly two tons of material! All told, computers require at least 10 times their weight in fossil fuels and chemicals to be manufactured. Contrast that to automobiles or refrigerators, which require only 1-2 times their weight in fossils fuels.
Due to the fact that the majority of energy used over the life cycle of a computer comes during the manufacturing process, the energy savings potential of reusing a computer is some 5-20 times greater than recycling.
