ICTs for Climate Change Adaptation in Africa

Creech, Heather; Akoh, Ben; Parry, Jo-Ellen

ICTs for Climate Change Adaptation in Africa

2014

Creech, Heather | Akoh, Ben | Parry, Jo-Ellen

Like other regions of the world, Africa is beginning to experience the impacts of human-induced climate change. These observed changes in climate parameters have not occurred uniformly across Africa. Mitigation is concerned with reducing the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the Earth's atmosphere that are the principal causes of climate change. Adaptation is concerned not with prevention but, in the words of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, with adjustments in human and or natural systems to reduce adverse impacts or take advantage of opportunities that may arise from it. Information and communication technology (ICT) have had an increasing impact on economic and social development over the past two decades, resulting from their capacity to generate and disseminate information, to facilitate the coordination of different actors in and beyond government, and to make government, business, and development processes more efficient. ICTs also have a complex relationship with sustainability and with the underlying cause of climate change. This relationship can be described in terms of the effects of ICTs: first order (direct) effects concern the impacts which ICTs have on climate change, in particular the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the production, use and disposal of communications equipment and services, accounting for between 2 and 2.5 percent of global emissions. Second order (indirect) effects concern the role ICTs can play in reducing emissions resulting from other industrial sectors, by adopting ICTs to improve efficiency and production. Third order (societal) effects result from large-scale changes in social and economic behavior resulting from widespread use of ICTs, including changing patterns of trade, production and consumption, and global to local engagement of citizens in decision making.

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AGROVOC Keywords

acidification agricultural production atmosphere capacity building capacity development carbon civil society civil society organizations climate climate change climate change adaptation climate change mitigation climate proofing climate variability co2 cyclones decision making deforestation disaster preparedness disaster risk reduction dry season economic growth economic sectors energy efficiency flooding forest reserves forest resources forestry glacial lakes greenhouse gas emissions ice ice fields income land management local communities meteorological data meteorology monsoons oceans precipitation rain rainfall rainfall patterns rivers temperature water management water resources water supply wind

Bibliographic information

Publisher

World Bank, Washington, DC

Other Subjects

Greenhouse gas; Temperature increases; Adaptive capacity of farmers; Glacial lake; Financial services; Adaptation planning; Impact of climate change; Energy prices; Bases; Water points; Adaptation interventions; Meteorological information; Climate change impacts; Climate monitoring; Adaptation plans; Flood; Adaptation support; Adaptation policy; Forest; Climate parameters; Strategies for climate change; Decrease in rainfall; Confronting climate change; Temperatures; Adaptation to climate change; Impacts of climate change; Ecosystem; Sea walls; Adaptation to climate; Clean technologies; National adaptation; Regional climate; Local community; Vulnerability to climate change; Management of water; Adaptation activities; Greenhouse; Climate modelling system; Fire management; Availability of water; Impact of climate; Window of opportunity; Global emissions; Adaptation in agriculture; Framework convention on climate change; National water policy; Adaptation policy development; Climate modelling; Managing climate risk; International responses to climate change; Climate response; Adapting; Climate change projections; Glacial lake outburst; Climate conditions; Direct impacts of climate change; Climate change information; Floods; Natural disaster; Forestry policy; Disaster risk; Season; Extreme climate events; Lower prices; Adaptation framework; Adaptation efforts; Extreme events; Access to data; Climate change adaptation strategies; Climatic variations; Adaptive capacity; Inland lakes; Rainfall variability; Adaptation needs; Climate impacts; Capacity-building; Policy makers; Financial resources; Climate disasters

Language

English

Format

application/pdf, text/plain

License

CC BY 3.0 IGO, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/

In AGRIS since: 2024-10-18

Modification date: 2025-05-23

Format: Dublin Core

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This bibliographic record has been provided by World Bank

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