ICTs for environment action

ICTs for e-Environment: Guidelines for developing countries with a focus on climate change

Publisher: International Telecommunication Union, 2008

The impact of human activities on the environment – and on climate change in particular – are issues of growing concern confronting life on Earth. At the same time, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being rapidly deployed around the world.

Although ICTs require energy resources, they also offer a number of opportunities to advance global environmental research, planning and action. This includes monitoring and protecting the environment as well as mitigation of, and adaptation to climate change.

Image credits: ITU / ITU and Climate Change

This report, ICTs for e-Environment, reviews key ICT trends and provides an overview of the impact that ICTs have on the environment and climate change, as well as their role in helping mankind to mitigate and adapt to these changes.

Intended as guidelines for developing countries, the report approaches the topic from a developmental perspective and is based on consultations with key actors and extensive online research. It documents current activities and initiatives, and makes a set of recommendations for strengthening the capacity of developing countries to make beneficial use of ICTs.

The report demonstrates that ICTs are essential to our understanding of the environment and to our ability to deal with environmental change.

Today, a broadband Internet connection is probably the most important tool to support environmental research, learning and decision-making. But not all countries have the capacity to take advantage of these technologies.

There is a need to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to benefit from the use of ICTs for managing the environment while helping them to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Finally, the report proposes a methodology to undertake rapid national e-Environment assessments, as well as to develop and implement national e-Environment strategies.

Whatever approach is taken to support the use of ICTs for environmental action in sustainable
development, it must be undertaken in close collaboration with key development partners at the national and international level, and in consultation with actors in the public and private sectors, as well as civil society.

This is however a preliminary scoping study. The authors recognize the need for much more feedback from development practitioners and environmental actors – especially from collaborators and partners in the developing world.