Environment – Page 5

Agriculture, Environment, Environment, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal, Water

Innovative Solutions to Water and Sanitation Challenges Emerge from Collaborative “WaterHackathon”

The World Bank and several technology partners held the first global WaterHackathon, inviting computer programmers, designers and other ICT specialists to develop solutions to water and sanitation (WASH) development challenges.

Photo credit: World Bank

The hackathon took place simultaneously in ten locations, including Washington DC, Nairobi, Bangalore, and Lima. The World Bank reports that “nearly 1000 people registered worldwide to participate in the event…to try to solve – ‘hack’ – more than 100 water problems.” A team of water experts sat down with ICT experts to identify these problems beforehand, which were related to on-going World Bank water projects.

One of the pre-defined problems was with the water utility customer service center in Botswana. The center is often so overwhelmed by calls regarding bill status that many customers abandon payment efforts or are forced to travel to the service center just to receive simple answers about their bills.

The winning hack team, comprised of students from George Mason University at the Washington DC Hackathon, developed a prototype that simulated customers in Botswana sending and instantly receiving SMS messages with simple answers to bill-related questions. The solution could save customers time as well as improve revenue and operating efficiency for the water utility.

Other winners included a tool created by a team in Kampala that crowd sources and visualizes water-related problems in communities, as well as a smartphone tool to help consumers understand their water usage over time. In Bangalore, a winning team developed an app that links an SMS stream to an ongoing project, allowing implementers to track, gather, and analyze data about their projects. OpenStreetMap made hydrological data from the Ministry of Agriculture public for the first time at the Lima Hackathon.

Water Hackathon in Lima; courtesy of World Bank

Each Hackathon location provided outlets for showcasing and refining the winning solutions, some winners receiving spots in local technology centers to further develop their products. Event organizers will continue to track the outcomes of the events, and many teams have connected with teams in other locations in order to foster future collaboration.

October 31, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Apps4Africa 2011: Climate Challenge

The US Department of State-funded Apps4Africa competition that began in 2009 has announced its theme for this year: Climate Challenge. Nine winners in sub-Saharan Africa will receive prize money for the applications with the most innovative solutions for solving climate problems.

Photo credit: Apps4Africa

The 2011 competition that brings NGOs, civil society, universities, and the private sector together with African technology gurus began on October 1st in West/Central Africa; it will later head to Eastern Africa and end in Southern Africa on March 30, 2012. It builds on the successes of last year’s Civic Challenge, which produced innovative apps such as the iCow that helps farmers manage livestock breeding. The Climate Challenge is meant to “center around several strategic themes that coincide with policy decisions that will be debated…by world leaders” during the COP17 conference in Durban, South Africa.

The COP17 conference, or the 17^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will take place from November 28- December 9. It is designed to assess progress in dealing with climate change and work toward the UNFCCC’s objective to “stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

The categories for the Climate Challenge applicants are as follows:

Entry Categories
Agriculture (Distribution)
Early Warning and/or Disaster Preparedness
Resource Management
Forestry/Deforestation
Transportation/Traffic/Emissions
Food Security
Livestock
Health and Sanitation

Innovators in Africa developing apps for Apps4Africa competition

Photo credit: Apps4Afric

Application Types
Mobile
Mobile (smart phones)
Web
Desktop

Data
Open Data Source
Crowdsourcing/Public Participation
News Aggregation
Proprietary
Other

Interested in being involved with Apps4Africa but don’t live in Africa? Consider becoming a mentor and lending your expertise to applicants.

The winners of Climate Challenge will also receive a special congratulatory message from US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

October 5, 2011/by actualize

Energy, Environment, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

ICT4 Greener Economy in Developing Countries: Mini Conference

Credit: Sustain2Green

As the Rio+20 draws near, a number of international conferences and summits aim at deliberating on sustainable environment and climate change across the globe are being convened. One of such is the mini conference on ICT for a Greener Economy in Developing Countries to be held next month (October 25^th) in the Netherlands.

The ‘ICT for a Greener Economy in Developing Countries’ mini-conference is an event that will explore and highlight the key role Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) play in moving towards greener economies. It is being organized on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD). The conference will bring together experts in the area of climate change and ICTs including Kentaro Toyama, the co-founder of Microsoft Research (MSR) India and a prominent scholar in ICT4D with the name ICT4D jester.

The conference will also see the official launching of “Bits4green initiative” which was set up by IICD, the Dutch corporate sector and World PC. The initiative focuses on reducing energy consumption and e-waste in developing countries. By supporting Bits4Green, companies show that they are investing in clean energy and actively working on a global reduction of electronic waste and energy use in developing countries. It also creates opportunities for entrepreneurs in the IT industry to actively contribute to a more sustainable and green use of ICT.

The design, production, use and disposal of information and communications technologies (ICTs) are contributing to the global environmental crisis. Even though the ICT sector’s contribution to global CO2 emissions is at the low side compare to other sectors (2–2.5%), it is projected to double by 2020. Developing countries are paying more for ICTs at the end of their life cycles (disposal) where, vast quantities of ICTs become highly specialized waste that includes environmentally hazardous metals like lead, mercury and cadmium, as well as toxic flame retardants and plastics. According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), about 80% of all the e‑waste that is diverted – out of a yearly global e‑waste production of about 40 million tones is exported to developing countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Nigeria and Ghana.

At the same time, the expectations of developing countries to take advantage of the green economy through sustained growth model which will feature environmental-friendly technologies, use more renewable resources, and reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions, is high. Major developing countries like China have been sparing no efforts in developing green economy, which is widely regarded as a viable way of restoring job growth, reducing poverty and achieving a more sustainable economy. A joint report Why a Green Economy Matters for the Least Developed Countries issued at the start of the 4^th UN conference by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) and launched in Istanbul this year also points to the economic and human development opportunities of a green economy transition for the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). The report argues that LDCs face unprecedented vulnerabilities across a range of challenges and a the shift to a global green economy can put LDCs in an opportune position if the right enabling policies are put in place nationally and internationally.

The time to weigh the pros and cons of ICTs and green economy in the developing nations is now!

September 28, 2011/by actualize

Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

What about e-Waste management?

a pile of dumped computers and other electronics, including wires.

Credit: Megan via greenlifesmartlife

Technology diffusion dominates the discourse on ICTs, leaving little room for action on e-waste management in the developing world. This is an unfortunate trend, as the rapidly changing technological landscape, brought forth by changes in media, obsolescence and affordability, spurs a surplus of global e-waste that is poorly managed.

This is exacerbated by stringent regulations in the developed world regarding the disposal of electronics. Consequently, much of the world’s 50 million tonnes of e-waste ends up in the developing world, including China, India and parts of Africa, where the e-waste regulatory framework and collection system is non-existent or far too weak to ensure compliance and accountability.

E-waste, which UNEP asserts will rise five-fold over the next decade, contains hazardous waste that may cause damage (health, social and economic) in excess of the perceived economic value of e-cycling and e-dumping. But experts contend that there are ways to combat this, specifically the removal of hazards before shipment. That is subject to stringent regulation of e-waste and heightened concerns about environmental harm in the developed world. This creates an underlying legal and economic disincentive to remove harmful residues before export to the developing world.

However, developing countries are taking greater interest in e-waste management. For instance, Kenya adopted guidelines for e-Waste management last year that provides a policy framework for regulating the booming sector. As the East African country prepares to launch its e-waste management policy, efforts are underway to raise public awareness on sustainable management. Kenya, a leading ICT hub with high technology adoption rates, will certainly experience a spike in local e-waste as its robust innovators churn out new technologies, replacing other widely used instruments.

The emerging policy framework will enable the country to better manage and benefit from the global expansion in e-waste, as the policy will categorize waste, itemize disposal procedures and practices. But the wider concerns about dangers posed by the disposal of e-waste versus other obsolete technologies remains a major concern, and could thwart proper management globally.

July 14, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Agriculture, Food Security & Rural Development, Areas of Expertise, Climate Change, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Global alliance to reduce agricultural greenhouse gasses

Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and this makes finding a balance between increasing food production and limiting greenhouse gas emissions a major challenge.

In fact, there are few global research projects with a focus on reducing agricultural greenhouse gases, compared to the energy and transport sectors. But this could all change for the better.

Over a year and a half ago New Zealand launched the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, and this year its membership grew to 30 countries. The Alliance aims to coordinate the research of the world’s top scientists in agricultural emissions in a bid to find ways of increasing food production and ensuring food security without increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Alliance has successfully increased international cooperation and investment in research for livestock, paddy rice production systems and technologies to limit the loss of carbon and nitrogen from crops and soils.

July 11, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Environment, Land Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

South Sudan: Millions trek home to a delicate environment

With a greater sense of collective security and a fast-growing economy fueled by its budding oil industry, most of The Republic of South Sudan is poised for recovery and development at the onset of nationhood.

Although South Sudan’s slate of challenges are not easily enumerable, issues relating to the environment, including land degradation, deforestation and the impact of climate change, must be addressed with urgency. This constellation of challenges threaten the newly independent nation’s long-term peace and stability, food security and sustainable development.

But an effective response requires copious, accurate and reliable data that isn’t readily available. This paucity of information about South Sudan’s environmental landscape is due to unique factors brought about by the more than two decades long civil war with its now northern neighbor. The war, which ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, displaced nearly a half of the population of 8 million and claimed nearly 2 million lives.

Throughout the years of displacement, previously overgrazed lands and wildlife were naturally replenished to some degree. But as an estimated 4 million people return to their ancestral lands on the cusp of independence in a resource rich but ecologically unsound and economically stagnant society, the natural gains made in restoring the environment is in jeopardy. It would be illogical to suggest that the return of a displaced people is within and of itself the cause of this crisis, rather, it is the lack of information about where people will settle and the state of the environment in those places that is at the core of the problem.

To respond to this challenge, the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) ought to make more coordinated use of the 2005 post-conflict environmental assessment it commissioned UNEP

Photo Credit: Frank Langfitt/NPR

to conduct. The finding from the UNEP study may be transformed into a resource akin to Virtual Kenya, an online interactive web platform for charting human environmental health with related material for those with no access to the internet. This is one tangible way in which ICTs, including GIS technologies may be used to tackle South Sudan’s environmental challenges.

As I’ve noted in previous blogs focused on South Sudan and the role of ICTs, there is limited scope for the use of high tech ICTs at this point, due to systemic and structural impediments, including literacy, connectivity, access and market environment. However, traditional technologies such as radio ought to be used to provide timely, accurate and contextually appropriate information about environmental conservation. It is important that the farming community, the largest economically active block in the country, be sensitized about this. Land degradation, for instance, is heightened by population pressure, intensification of agriculture, water-logging and salinity, among other things. Both water-logging and salinity are caused by poor irrigation and drainage, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion and poverty.

So, as South Sudan claims nationhood, it is imperative that the environment be a priority for the GoSS and its people. A clear ICT strategy with medium to long-term goals is needed. It ought to emphasize how ICTs will be leveraged to improve basic farm extension services to reduce poor soil management, and other agricultural related causes of land degradation. The wider thrust to sensitize the nation about environmental issues ought to also prioritize the well-being of wildlife, much of which was devastated during the war. There is clear economic, environmental and social benefits to be reaped from this.

As with so many nations on the cusp of self-determination, South Sudan can take a path that will secure the fortunes of its people. The preservation of the environment is central to achieving this, and that is only possible if there is national buy-in. Too few governments have been proactive in informing their citizens.

July 8, 2011/by actualize

Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Global Symposium on ICT and Climate Change

Ghana and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will host the Global Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change in Accra this July.

The Symposium will focus on the needs of the developing world, which will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. A slate of leading specialists in the communications industry, top policymakers, engineers, designers, planner and regulators will discuss issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation, e-waste, disaster planning, cost-effective ICTs, and the challenges and opportunities posted by transitioning to a green economy.

The symposium’s recommendations regarding ICTs, the environment and climate change is likely to contribute to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD 2012 or Rio+20).

ICTs such as satellites, mobile phones and the internet play a key role in addressing the challenges associated with climate change and sustainable development.

July 5, 2011/by actualize

Climate Change, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

A GREEN SIM CARD!

(Credit: Ghana Business News)

A French firm says it is manufacturing biodegradable SIM cards. This is the latest in a series of innovations in the global telecoms sector, but the environmentally conscious intent sets Oberthur Technologies apart—most SIM cards are made from plastic, which do not degrade.

The firm touts its latest product as ‘an eco-friendly high-tech solution to meet our 21^st century environmental challenges.” Head of Product Marketing, Mobile Product Line-Cards and Services Stephane Girodon says the product has already been distributed in Europe, but it is yet to be introduced elsewhere.

Oberthur Technologies is the world’s second largest provider of security and identification solutions and services based on smart card technologies for mobiles.

July 1, 2011/by actualize

Environment, Health, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

e-Development in Kenya: Electrifying Villages & the Benefits of ‘Virtual Kenya’

A metal solar panel (Credit: Capital Business)

Previously, I dubbed east-Africa’s ICT hub, Kenya, the Land of the Apps, but Kenya’s wider e-development prospects and challenges are more nuanced than that. We ought to consider a range of intersecting questions.

Last week, I chronicled the Kenyan government’s plans to channel US$10 million into its much vaunted digital village project and plans to provide computers and reliable connectivity to schools across the country.

These bold policy positions are indicative of why Kenya’s success is no fluke. In fact, its concerted focus on and sensitivity to the information poverty of its legion of unconnected people, amid a rapidly transforming and pioneering telecoms sector, is a game-changer. The range of policy positions adopted recently gives credence to this view, particularly the move to rectify the country’s ailing electricity sector and the launch of ‘Virtual Kenya’ last week.

The East-African country will spend US$62 million to electrify 460 trading centers and 110 secondary schools, among other public facilities under the rural electrification program. The ICT sector will also benefit from the $730 million allocated to the Ministry of Energy for the next fiscal year. As I have noted before, this will further bridge the digital divide because none of Kenya’s—or the wider African continent’s— ambitious ICT expansion plans will be achieved without improved electricity infrastructure. According to the World Bank, 70% of Africans are not connected to a power grid.

Resolving the energy sector crisis is pivotal, as it will not only boost the expansion of the ICT sector, but also improve livelihoods. The successful ‘Songa mbele na solar‘ (Move ahead with solar) campaign of 2010 offers lessons, too. It shows that any effort to electrify Kenya’s more rustic regions will require a diversified energy mix—and given the state’s economic constraints, solar—readily accessible and easily tapped—ought to be an integral part of that mix. The ‘Songa mbele na solar” reached over nine million Kenyans, improving productivity by extending business hours, and buttressing lives through reduced air pollution.

It is clear to me that there is a growing, albeit very slow, trend towards merging the questions of sustainable development, particularly clean energy and natural resources conservation, with the ICT4D push. I am inclined to think that the link between the two ought to be further cemented. I consider the launch of ‘Virtual Kenya’, an interactive web platform for charting human environmental health, to be a step in that direction. ‘Virtual Kenya’, which was developed by the Nairobi-based web mapping technology firm Upande Ltd, in collaboration with the US-based World Resources Institute, caters to the needs of Kenya’s unconnected as it comes with “related materials for those with no access to the internet”. So, I think this is important on two fronts: first, it tackles the information divide; second, it broadens the pool of people who have ready access to environmental and health information.

It is easy to imagine the impact this will have on an educational landscape where schools and universities are constrained by outmoded data sets and other resources. Ready access to high quality, spatial data and cutting edge mapping technology on an interactive platform is golden.

For more details on ‘Virtual Kenya’, please go here.

June 27, 2011/by actualize

Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Virtual Kenya: A Path to Improved Development Planning

Effective development and program management is crucial for sustained economic growth and positive social change to be achieved. But limited high quality spatial data and cutting edge mapping technology (coupled with widespread connectivity issues) impede proper planning in much of the developing world.

Last week’s launch of Virtual Kenya, an online interactive web platform for charting human environmental health with related material for those with no access to the internet, offers a guide on how to improve this paucity of high quality and reliable spatial data. The innovation will enable Kenyans to use and interact with spatial data in their educational and professional pursuits, which will undoubtedly improve the relevance of their education and work for improved livelihoods, society and nation building.

The newly launched platform will provide online access to publicly available spatial data sets, as well as, interactive tools and learning resources to utilize the vast array of data. This unprecedented opportunity to download, publish, share and comment on a myriad of map-based products will promote data sharing and spatial analysis.

As I suggested earlier, this is a game-changer in the development space because it will enable sound decision-making and development planning in Kenya. This is possible because Virtual Kenya will be of use to a wide cross-section of people, including high school and university teachers and students, government planners, GIS professionals and local government officials.

This development shows that web-based spatial planning tools have the potential to structure and strengthen the development space. In discussing the strengths of Virtual Kenya with my colleagues, we pondered about the sustainability of this initiative because of the difficulty with gathering and sorting spatial data. But, Virtual Kenya is likely to outlive these concerns because of its democratic, community-based nature, and the range of organizations involved in this project: Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, International Livestock Research Institute, World Resources Institute, Upend (the Kenyan-based developer), and technical support from Danida and SIDA.

Upend, the technical lead on the collaborative Virtual Kenya project, provided the following list (and notes) of interactive tools that will be utilized:

Virtual Kenya Tours using Google Earth with 2D and 3D maps, images, and graphs to explain data from the Atlas with voice overs in an interactive and entertaining format.
Interactive Map Viewer that allows users to view, create, and download maps of Kenya
Social networking community to share GIS and mapping experiences among Virtual Kenya users;
Baseline data on Kenya’s environment and geography in multiple file formats that are freely available and comprehensive;
Learning resources, including a teachers guide and student activity booklets, to help educators use maps and information from the Atlas in their classrooms even without access to the Internet or computers;
Tutorials to help users take advantage of all that Virtual Kenya has to offer

This mix of tools shows that even those with limited/no with GIS technology will find Virtual Kenya user-friendly. The visual nature of the innovation will also limit the constraints posed by issues of illiteracy, functional and otherwise.

The Honorable Dr. Ottichilo, a Member of Parliament for the Emuhaya Constituency, shares his thoughts on Virtual Kenya and its potential for improved development planning. Dr. Ottichilo earned a PhD in natural resources planning, assessment and management.

For more details on Virtual Kenya, please go here

June 27, 2011/by actualize

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