Andrew Hepher, Vice President of Lubricants Technology, Shell unveils the Shell Concept Car in Beijing, China, Friday, April 22, 2016. Built as proof of energy efficiency that can be achieved with the latest technologies, Shell unveiled the concept car ahead of the bi-annual Beijing Auto Show where the world's top car manufacturers will showcase their own upcoming products. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Rope access technicians carry out maintenance service on wind turbines including repairs, blade inspections and cleaning in Izmir, Turkey on February 19, 2021. In Turkey, where investments in renewable energy has increased, there are wind tribunes over 3,500. (Photo by Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari drinks juice as she waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

Sustainable development goal target 12.5 is to reduce waste. But with a planet increasingly dependent on technology, is that even possible? As of today, over 30m tonnes of electronic waste has been thrown out so far this year, according to the World Counts. Most e-waste is sent to landfills in Asia and Africa where it is recycled by hand, exposing the people who do it to environmental hazards. Kai Loeffelbein’s photographs of e-waste recycling in Guiyu, southern China show what happens to discarded computers. (Photo by Kai Loeffelbein/laif Agentur)

Wind turbines stand in the Baltic 1 offshore wind farm on April 29, 2011 in the Baltic Sea near Zingst, Germany. Baltic 1, a project of German energy utility EnBW that includes 21 turbines rated at 2.3 megawatts each, will be Germany's first commercial offshore wind farm once it officially begins operation on May 2. Germany has thus far lagged in offshore wind farm construction when compared to neighbors like Great Britain and Denmark, though German Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to invest heavily into offshore wind farms as part of an overall policy to encourage renewable energy production. (Photo by Joern Pollex/Getty Images)

Women carry gas cylinders to fill them at a distribution point in Cairo January 19, 2015. Egypt is going through its worst energy crisis in decades and is seeking fresh sources of natural gas, which powers most of its homes and factories. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

Galagos, more commonly known as bush babies, are tiny African primates with remarkable jumping abilities. Thanks to the elastic energy stored in the tendons of their lower legs, small-eared galagos can jump 6 feet straight up in the air. (Photo by Traer Scott/Chronicle Books)

A paramilitary police officer (right) turns around as hostesses line up for roll call ahead of the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, on Monday, April 25, 2016. Tesla Motors Inc. and BYD Co. are among manufacturers showing 147 new-energy vehicles at this year's show. (Photo by Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)