Unveiling the Links between ICTs & Climate Change in Developing Countries: A Scoping Study

This scoping study charts strands and trends in the literature on information and communication technologies (ICTs), climate change, and development, and gives an overview model of the key ICT application areas: mitigation, strategy, monitoring,and adaptation. The scoping study is intended to identify priorities for future research in this field derived from documents from 1997-2010. This document is the product of the University of Manchester, United Kingdom (UK)'s "Climate Change, Innovation and ICTs" research project, funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre and managed by the University's Centre for Development Informatics.

From the Executive Summary: "Despite the prevalence of the mitigation lens among available sources, a growing body of literature indicates the emergence of research in the areas of adaptation and climate change strategies, acknowledging the priorities of developing contexts and the potential of ICTs. Experiences from vulnerable communities in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean point to the use of applications such as mobile phones, the Internet and community radio as part of climate change responses, including the strengthening of local livelihoods, natural resources management and training, access to relevant information and networking opportunities, and awareness raising, among others.

However, this constitutes a very new field of enquiry where much remains to be explored. Developing country priorities and perspectives need to become a central part of the debate, if the potential of these technologies is to contribute to more holistic, inclusive responses to the challenges posed by the changing climate."

The four parts of the document include:

• a ”big picture” of ICTs and climate change based on a review of existing literature and identification of the main phases that have characterised the debate to date;
  
• analysis of key components of the debate on the role of ICTs and a building of the basis of a conceptual model on ICTs, climate change, and development (presented in Figure 2, page 22);
  
• some of the emerging examples of ICT use in climate change mitigation, monitoring, adaptation, and strategies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; and
  
• issues for future research.
  

The authors analyse the main components of climate change and the ICT debate, examining mitigation, monitoring, adaptation, and strategies. The potential of ICTs in processes of climate change adaptation "can be associated with the following key livelihood assets which can also, conversely, be seen as key areas of vulnerability that climate change may induce or further impair":

1. Socio-political
   
2. Livelihoods and finance
   
3. Health
   
4. Habitat (settlement and displacement)
   
5. Food (agriculture)
   
6. Water
   

Strategies for addressing the role of ICTs in climate change needs internationally "can be explored around five main areas of action whose effective implementation can be enabled by the use of these tools, namely: carbon markets, decision-making processes, policy networks, awareness and capacity building, and technology transfer. From contributing to the efficiency and monitoring of carbon markets, fostering inclusion and participation in decision making process and policy networks, and fostering public awareness and capacity building on key issues related to climate change, ICTs could complement and strengthen strategies in this field." Challenges to their use include resource and asset constraints, including physical infrastructure constraints, and development of policy and awareness-raising channels, particularly for the integration of ICT applications and practices into national development planning.

The experiences analysed in this document point out challenges in terms of: coordination and communication between communities, institutions, and authorities at the local, municipal, and national levels; gaps in the adoption of ICTs in developing countries due to capacity needs and barriers to access, including issues of language; and gaps in the available knowledge in the field.