Information and communication technologies for environmental sustainability

Information and Communication Technologies for Environmental Sustainability (ICT Ensure) is a general term referring to the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) within the field of environmental sustainability. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are acting as integrating and enabling technologies for the economy and they have a profound impact on our society. Recent changes in ICT use globally have impacted the environment negatively (in terms of waste and energy consumption etc.) but also have the potential to support environmental sustainability activities^[1] , such as the targets set within the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 7 (MDG7) to “ensure environmental sustainability”.^[2]

New technologies provide utilities for knowledge acquisition and awareness, early evaluation of new knowledge, reaching agreements and communication of progress in the interest of the human welfare. This includes ethical aspects of protecting human life as well as aspects of consumer safety and the preservation of our natural environment.

Application areas

More and more application areas are becoming relevant to sustainable development in industry, health care, agriculture and the information society. And they have an impact on the perspectives of ICT, the environment, policy and science. More and more interest has been emerged as well to risk and disaster management, adaptation to climate change and resource use.

• ICT in Energy Consumption/Efficiency
• ICT in Climate Change^[3]
• ICT and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
• ICT for Biodiversity
• Eco-industrial Applications and ICT for Industrial Ecology
• ICT in Agriculture
• ICT for Landscape Ecology
• Personal Information Systems and Quality of Life
• ICT for Sustainable Urban Development
• ICT in Health Care
• ICT for Environmental Risk Management

Further reading

• Millennium Development Goals | Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability^[4]
• SMART 2020 Report^[5]
• ICTs: Do They Contribute to Increased Carbon Emissions?^[6]
• New and Emergent ICTs and Climate Change in Developing Countries^[7]

• Agriculture
• Biodiversity
• Climate change
• Natural resource management
• Quality of life

References

1. Murugesan, S.; Laplante, P. A. (2011). "IT for a Greener Planet". IT Professional 13 (1): 16–18.
2. 2.1. "Millennium Development Goal 7". UNDP. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
3. Karanasios, S. (2011). New and Emergent ICTs and Climate Change in Developing Countries. R. Heeks & A. Ospina (Eds.) (PDF). Manchester: Centre for Development Informatics, Institute for Development Policy and Management, SED, International Development Research Centre.
4. Archived February 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
5. "Smart 2020 Report: Global ICT Solution Case Studies". Smart2020.org. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
6. "ICTs: Do they contribute to increased carbon emissions?". Technological Forecasting and Social Change 79: 919–931. 2012-06-30. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2011.12.005. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
7. http://www.niccd.org/KaranasiosClimateChangeEmergentICTs.pdf