ICT for the Environment
ICT can make a valuable contribution to sustainable environmental management by improving monitoring and response systems, facilitating environmental activism and enabling more efficient resource use.
Scarcity of relevant and reliable information has always been a substantial obstacle to more effective environmental management. Used to collect, process, and disseminate information, ICT enables a better understanding of issues such as climate change and biodiversity and helps to monitor ecological conditions so that prevention and mitigation measures can be activated.
ICT is also being deployed extensively to monitor and respond to environmental disasters in developing countries. The power of ICT as an information and networking medium can also enable citizens to act as environmental enforcement agents, alerting decision makers to compliance infringements and leveraging the power of ICT to reach and influence public opinion.
ICT applications can be used to reduce the consumption of energy, water and other essential natural resources through more efficient agriculture and industrial procedures.
Challenges
Limited internet access among concerned groups who have information to contribute and are also target information recipients; and securing political support and sponsorship among governments, industry groups, and NGOs in new geographic markets.
ICT as a Production Sector
The global networked economy offers opportunities for developing countries not only to respond to market opportunities in developed economies, but also to develop national capacity and create domestic spillover effects and niche opportunities for nationally-located enterprises, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs).