5G and the environment

Hastings and St Leonards Extinction Rebellion General Election Hustings 2019 -also  at https://www.instagram.com/p/B5LrHb-BLby/

A question not put to the hustings:

"5G has already started being rolled out across the country, and together with smart technology is being promoted as one way to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. However, given that

1) as environment correspondent, John Vidal, has written “The communications industry could use 20% of all the world’s electricity by 2025, hampering global attempts to meet climate change targets and straining grids as demand … from billions of smartphones, tablets and internet-connected devices grows exponentially’

2) numerous scientific studies indicate harmful effects from microwave radiation to plants animals, birds, and insects, including our pollinators

3) The 2018 European Commission Scientific Committee on Health Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) classes 5G as 'an urgent, severe, emerging issue for its potential effects on wildlife'.

4) there are already huge environmental and human rights issues associated with the mining of minerals for use in wireless devices, and that it is more than likely that 5G, smart technology and The Internet of Things will result in exponential increase in this use

Do the above points give the candidates any cause for concern, and should we be putting the rollout of 5G and smart technology on hold, not to mention anything likely to increase exposure to microwave radiation, until the effects on the environment (as well as public health) have been thoroughly assessed?

This question emerged from https://www.facebook.com/groups/5GFreeHastings/