Planting the Knowledge Seed Adapting to climate change using ICTs. Concepts, current knowledge and innovative examples

The publication explores the practical linkages between climate change, access to and sharing of information and knowledge, communication for development and ICTs in general.
It editors specifically:

• provides an overview of linking the strategic use of ICTs to climate change
• summarises the discussions and conclusions of the BCO Learning Day on ICTs and Climate Change held in December 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa
• demonstrates innovative applications through concrete project examples
• starts a dialogue and stimulate a debate about the added value and applicability of ICTs inclimate change programmes.

Climate change, access to knowledge, and evolutions in ICTs such as mobile phones and interactive community radios are closely linked. Risk and vulnerability can be reduced through ICT enabled information provision and the facilitation of knowledge sharing, which can ultimately help enhance coping strategies and save lives. Despite the obstacles and challenges to equitable access in many developing countries, concrete examples demonstrate that opportunities to adapt to climate change using ICTs exist. The principal argument put forward in this document is that the strategic use of ICTs within climate change programmes presents an innovative way to help make those efforts more efficient and effective.

Some of the general conclusions include:

• climate change: The communications challenge of separate spheres of experience: ICTs have a fundamental role to play in narrowing the experience gap between different sets of people, so that meeting the challenge of adapting to climate change becomes a collective and informed response, and so that information and knowledge are shared widely and fluidly between different stakeholders.
• systematic integration of ICTs as strategic tools in response to climate change: There is no need to “reinvent the wheel”, since good practices and lessons learned from existing development programmes on the strategic use of ICTs can be built upon. There is a need to apply and build on good practices found in current ICT and development approaches within specific development sectors when responding to climate change.
• the need for awareness raising and capacity development among all development Stakeholders: Awareness raising and capacity development around the potential of using ICTs to adapt to climate change need to happen at all levels. All relevant stakeholders should be included in these interventions.

Specific conclusions from innovative examples for practical application include:

• the need for documentation and storytelling at the local level
• raising voices through community radio, which can be at the epicentre of a people-centric climate change response
• the power of the visual through the use of videos
• information and knowledge sharing around climate change can serve as a catalyst for broader ICT adoption
• real community ownership and appropriation of technology is possible in combating climate change.