ICTs for e-Environment – Final report 2008
Acknowledgements
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT
2.1. Introduction
2.2. A growing interest in climate change
2.3. Background on this report
2.4. Investigators who contributed to the report
2.5. Terms of reference
2.6. Definitions
2.7. Scope of study
2.8. Methodology
3. ICTS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
3.1. Introduction
3.2. ICT diffusion around the world
3.3. The digital divide
3.4. Access to PCs: an issue in developing countries
3.5. Broadband access to online data and knowledge resources
3.6. The importance of being mobile
3.7. Saturating the Internet?
3.8. The importance of being fiber
3.9. Impact of ICTs on productivity and national development
4. THE ENVIRONMENT AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4.1. Introduction
4.2. The changing perceptions of the environment
4.3. International agreements
4.4. Environment issues and priorities
4.5. Support for the environment in international development activities
4.6. Priorities of International Development
4.7. Mainstreaming the environment in development concerns
4.8. The Global Environment Facility
4.9. Special Climate Change Adaptation Fund (SCCF)
5. ICTS IN THE STUDY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Overview of Technologies
5.3. Research on ICTs for the environment
6. ICT APPLICATION CATEGORIES
6.1 Overview
7. USE OF ICTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATION
7.1. Overview
7.2. Remote sensing
7.3. Collection of primary scientific data about the environment
7.4. Accessing and evaluating environmental information
7.5. The origins of remote sensing technologies
7.6. Some key ICTs
7.7. Some key organizations
7.8. UNEP WCMC
7.9. Key applications for observation
7.10. GIS databases and presentation tools
7.11. Visual earth browsers and mark-up tools
7.12. Data Sharing Standards and Applications
7.13. Clearinghouse mechanisms (CHMs)
7.14. CCINet operated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
7.15. TT:CLEAR
7.16. UNFCCC staff comments on ICT use
7.17. The clearinghouse mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity
7.18. Using ICTs for biodiversity mapping
7.19. Institutional issues
7.20. Using ICTs in the environment sector is also an e-Government issue
7.21. The need for a coordinated approach
7.22. Using Web services for a global biodiversity CHM
7.23. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
7.24. Issues and trends and relevance to developing countries
8. USE OF ICTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
8.1. Overview
8.2. Grid computing
8.3. Environmental models
8.4. Numerical analysis, simulation and modeling for understanding climate change
8.5. Geographic information systems
8.6. Energy efficient computer chips and chip arrays
8.7. Energy efficient programmes in CPU design
8.8. Key ICTs
8.9. Key organizations
8.10. Key applications
8.11. Issues and trends
8.12. Relevance to developing countries
9. USE OF ICTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
9.1. Overview
9.2. Background
9.3. Key ICTs and applications
9.4. Key organizations
9.5. Key applications
9.6. Issues and trends
9.7. Relevance to developing countries
10. USE OF ICTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
10.1. Overview
10.2. Background
10.3. Intelligent building systems
10.4. Key ICTs
10.5. Key organizations
10.6. Key applications
10.7. Issues and trends
10.8. Relevance to developing countries
11. IMPACT AND MITIGATING EFFECTS OF ICTS
11.1. Overview
11.2. Research on the impact of ICTs on the environment
11.3. Main benefits of ICTs for environmental action
11.4. The effect of broadband and related applications on the environment
11.5. Using ICTs to reduce GHG emissions and contribute to sustainable development
11.6. Deleterious impacts of increased use of ICTs on the environment
11.7. The trend toward increasing ICT energy savings and e-Waste reduction
11.8. Greening ICTs
11.9. Sea water, virtualization and solar power?
11.10. Key ICTs
11.11. Key organizations
11.12. Key applications
11.13. Issues and trends
11.14. Relevance to developing countries
12. ICTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING
12.1. Overview
12.2. ICTs in education about the environment
12.3. Online and digital learning about the environment
12.4. Public communication media
12.5. Environmental awareness kits
12.6. Education
12.7. Solomon Islands trials for the distribution of the OLPC
12.8. Key ICTs
12.9. Key organizations
12.10. Key applications
12.11. Issues and trends
12.12. Relevance to developing countries
13. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
13.1. Summary of findings
13.2. Conclusions
13.3. Recommendations
13.4. Strategic planning framework
14. ANNEX 1: RANKING E-ENVIRONMENT APPLICATIONS
14.1. Implementing e-Environment at the national level
14.2. Analyzing the e-Environment Organizational Domain
14.3. Example 1: Famine Early Warning System FEWS
14.4. Example 2: Trees for Tomorrow Forestry Management in Jamaica
14.5. Example 3: NatureServe – Biotics-4
14.6. Example 4: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Monitoring, Accounting and Reporting – Environment Canada
14.7. Example 5: International Transaction Log (of the Kyoto Protocol Registries System)
15. ANNEX 2: ICT APPLICATIONS LIST INCLUDING DESCRIPTION AND LINKS
16. ANNEX 3: REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
17. ANNEX 4: ORGANIZATIONS AND EXPERTS
18. ANNEX 5. TERMS OF REFERENCE