ICTs critical in mitigating impacts of climate change

speed and efficiency in information dissemination. They have also bridged the information and knowledge gap existing between the haves and the have-nots; the remote rural areas and the developed urban centres. With tools such as the mobile phone, community radios and Internet, communities even in very remote areas can now be reached easily. In climate change, ICTs may be very useful in mitigation, adaptation, monitoring and implementation of strategies.
Developing countries like Zimbabwe that face difficult developmental challenges in rural areas, where climate change impacts are felt hardest, can effectively use ICTs to enhance weather and climate knowledge, as well as information sharing, at minimum cost.
ICTs may be utilised to track the development of climate change and its impacts before that information is made available to vulnerable communities to assist in planning and disaster management.
Very often, selected climate change and related information is made available.
However, providing information, and ensuring that it has successfully reached its intended recipients is just half the job.
The task is only complete when that information is effectively used, and applied in limiting the damage caused by climate change, or in adapting to changing climatic conditions, a hearing-to-do kind of action.
If climate information received is not USED and APPLIED, the effectiveness of ICTs in raising awareness for active change and engagement would be minimal, or less.
It is like a believer who hears the Word of God everyday and fails to put it to practice.
The potency and truth of that Word will only be fully experienced when one puts it to work.
However, with nearly eight million mobile phone users in Zimbabwe (three-quarters of entire population), it is now easy to reach previously marginalised people and farmers.
For instance, it is now easy to communicate with people in the Save Valley or Muzarabani in times of floods, or any other natural disaster to increase preparedness, raise awareness and evoke urgent action.
Twelve years ago, several families were left stranded following destructive floods caused by Tropical Cyclone Eline, which destroyed electricity and fixed telephone infrastructure, roads and bridges, which hindered the relaying of information and timely aid relief to affected families.
In farming communities, agricultural extension officers could make use of ICT tools such as the mobile phone or other visual media to provide information on planting, weather patterns, prices and other extension work.
In fact, participatory videos are being successfully used here at home, in Kenya, South Africa and Malawi to enable communities to record local climatic impacts and adaptive practices.
“These videos have allowed marginalised communities to recuperate traditional knowledge, to actively engage in climate-related responses, to interact with different stakeholders, to discuss and assess collectively different adaptive options relevant to their local priorities,” explained a recent paper from a Canadian organisation, Notes on ICTs, Climate Change and Development.
The paper examines the use of ICTs in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Information Communication Technology Minister Mr Nelson Chamisa said ICTs were very useful tools and have been helpful in Zimbabwe as they provide rapid dissemination of information and knowledge to communities affected by climate change and other disasters.
They promote immediacy and urgency, he said, allowing people, such as farmers to share information and utilise it to their benefit.
“The presence of gadgets such as mobile phones has made it easier for the efficient dissemination of critical information to disaster zones, helping to limit damage and increasing preparedness.
“We would want to see ICTs being increasingly utilised for these and similar purposes in our communities, something that the ministry is actively pursuing,” Mr Chamisa said.
The rapid development of ICTs has also made the job of local weather forecasting agents easier. Mr Tirivanhu Muhwati, the head of Climate Applications at the Meteorological Services Department in Harare, said that ICTs, especially mobile telecommunications, had enabled them to provide coverage to remote places where traditional communication systems like radio and television are not easily accessible. This makes modern ICT tools ideal and affordable platforms for climate and weather information dissemination.
“Information dissemination is key in adapting to a changing climate,” Mr Muhwati explained adding: “Since climate change often manifested in extreme climate and weather events (such as heavy rain, droughts, prolonged dry spells etc), ICTs (internet, mobile telecoms) are key in the development of a country’s early warming system.”
“Meteorological services have greatly improved their skill in forecasting these extreme events but communication to vulnerable communities still remains a challenge in most developing countries, Zimbabwe included.”
The majority of communities in developing countries rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods, said climate change campaigner and researcher, said Mr Mukundi Mutasa.
He said such communities, especially those in Africa, were particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change unless measures were put in place to mitigate similar impacts.
“In Zimbabwe’s case, the penetration of ICTs in the rural communities can be seen as a plus as this can help in communicating early warming information that will help communities to mitigate the impacts of climate change on their sources of livelihood,” Mr Mutasa said.
“The main entry point is using ICTs to communicate early warnings so that the communities are not caught unawares by the negative impacts of climate change.
“Whether they can be effective or not, that is highly dependent on how much we embrace the ICTs and knowledge on climate change, the political will to invest in ICTs and their contribution to national development.”
The biggest challenge in using ICTs to generate climate change responses is that of investment in the sector, especially in vulnerable communities situated in marginal and remote areas where ICT infrastructure development for service providers might be costly, with less returns. There is thus the need for a more holistic approach to encouraging investment in these areas, with collaborative efforts from Government, the private sector and other support givers. It should also be noted that the production and use of ICTs contributes to the growth of climate change and global warming, although at a small scale.
ICTs are produced in large quantities in industrial processes that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Also, the pace at which the ICT sector is developing has encouraged consumerism, said Mr Mutasa, which has now resulted in more people owning multiple TV sets, laptops, radios, mobile phones, etc, increasing energy use, non-renewable energy use.
The growth of this sector must, therefore, be kept in check, especially in developing nations where people are keen on being “ICTenerised”.
God is faithful.