Transcript ICTs and Climate Change in Ghana

Rome, 7 September 2011
ITU Project
“Climate Change Adaptation
& Mitigation: the Case of
Ghana”
Cristina Bueti,
Programme Coordinator
ITU
International
Telecommunication
Union
How ICTs can tackle climate
change?
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 By driving down emissions in the
ICT sector itself
 By
2
cutting emissions and raising
energy efficiency in other sectors
 By
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helping countries adapt to the
negative effects of climate change
Accra Call to Action (1)
ICT plays a critical role for:
 Mitigation
 Adaptation
 Capacity building
 Technology transfer
Overall ICT impacts every facet of
human life – it is a driving engine
for socio-economic development
Accra Call to Action (2)
 Enhance the transformational role of ICT for climate
change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, will require
the use of three technology types: telecommunication
systems, observation systems, and information systems.
 Recognize that there is need to build capacities in
developing countries to support ICT as tool for climate
change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Capacity
development is required in three dimensions institutional development, human resources enhancement
and systems development, in particular, relating to
legislative and regulatory frameworks.
 Forge partnerships and engage all stakeholders to
address climate change, due to its multi-disciplinary
nature, is critical.
ITU Project in Ghana

How the
Telecommunications
Sector in Ghana can
Reduce Its Own
Emissions

The Role of ICTs in
Climate Change
Adaptation: the Case of
Ghana
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Key Stakeholders are:
Agencies
Sponsors
International
Telecommunication
Union (ITU)
Ministry of
Communications
°
In cooperation with
Environmental
Protection Agency
Climate in Ghana
 Total GHG emission is estimated to be 24MtCO2e. Equivalent of
1tCO2e per capita.
 Energy, Agriculture and Land use change and forestry are the
sources of GHG.
 Energy production, consumption and transport constitute key
source of emissions. Oil exploitation is expected to impact on the
emission growth in future.
 CO2 and CH4 are the major important GHG gases.
 Evidence of climate change abound in Ghana. Temperature has
increased by 0.6 - 0.8 °C since 1960.
 According to projections of the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), by the year 2080, the rainfall in the country will reduce by
20 to 40 per cent while the temperature will rise by 4.5 C.
Ghana & UNFCCC
 Ghana signed the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at
the Rio de Janeiro Earth summit in June 1992
and ratified same on 5 September 1995.
 The Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC was also
ratified on 16 November 2002. The instrument
of ratification was deposited at the United
Nations Headquarters in New York in March
2003.
The Effects of Climate Change in
Ghana
 All these conditions will not be
suitable for the growing of cocoa
anywhere in the country.
 As a result of climate change, only
the
the
the
soil
Western Region is producing
bulk of the nation's cocoa as
other regions have lost their
fertility.
 The rainfall pattern in the country
is already affecting maize
production and by the year 2020
it is projected that there will be a
seven per cent decline in maize
production.
“Africa's contribution to
greenhouse gases is low;
however the continent is
suffering the most in
terms of the effect of
climate change.
Cocoa for instance could
become a rare crop in the
next 15 years if
something is not done to
reverse the effects of
climate change.”
H.E. John Dramani
Mahama, Vice President,
Ghana
How ICTs Can Help Ghana to
Adapt to the Effects of
Climate Change

Ghana is experiencing rapid growth in ICT infrastructure
& services

This increased access to information, services and
applications brings the potential to facilitate adaptation to
climate change across a wide range of sectors in Ghana.

ICTs are the key to unlocking a broad range of solutions
which can help countries like Ghana adapt to climate
change.

Ghana has a well developed ICT training infrastructure,
which it can use to ensure that the right skills are
available to implement programmes which marry ICTs to
climate change adaptation.
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Adaptation: Involving ICTs
 Ghana already has a National Climate Change Committee,
currently consulting on the discussion paper “Ghana Goes for
Green Growth”.
 National telecommunication policy is promoting the migration
from separate networks to a single unified network generation
networks platform which reduces the number of switching
centres and involves higher capacity equipment.
 Min of Comms & Min of Env developed guidelines for the deployment of masts
and base stations for the communication industry
 Ministry of Communications is pursuing the migration from
analogue to digital transmission of radio and TV which
envisages significant reduction of transmitter power.
 National e-government network project which will extend
broadband infrastructure to all the District Assembly areas and
allow the use of ICT to provide emergency telecommunications
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Climate Change:
Adaptation includes Ghana’s
ICTs
 Risk of more
frequent/serious extreme
climate events could
produce service disruption.
 Hence, Ghana’s ICTs will
Photo Ghana Goes for
Green Growth
need:
 More robust
infrastructures.
 Greater technical
knowledge.
 Enhanced engineering
capabilities and
international standards
Preliminary Assessment

No single ICT solution can deliver all of the
necessary capabilities required for
adaptation.

The multiplicity of ICT solutions required
means that Ghana will need to prioritise the
optimum technologies to achieve its stated
climate change adaptation objectives.

ICT solutions to climate change adaptation in
Ghana will need to deliver the following
functions: observation; analysis; planning;
implementation and management; capacity
building; networking.
Next Steps
 Climate change is complicated and uncertain.
 There is no single mode of adaptation to climate
change.
 Hence, there is no one recipe for using ICTs in climate
change adaptation.
 What’s needed:
 Primary research in Ghana to consider the role for
ICTs in climate change adaptation, using existing
adaptation framework(s).
 Review which elements can be delivered with
Ghana’s current ICT assets and capability.
 Consider which ICTs are needed to deliver the
optimum capability for climate change adaptation.
 Raise awareness and build capacity
Expected Results
 Guidelines for the telecommunications sector on how to
reduce their emissions, including suggested actions to
be included in their CSR and internal policies. The first
report will also provide guidance on how to implement
international standards (including ITU-T Methodology on
the Environmental Assessment of ICT).
 Guidelines for Ghana as to how it can adapt to climate
change using ICTs including suggested actions for the
government of Ghana which will be in line with the
ongoing UNFCCC process.
 Including the establishment of a coalition of
stakeholders to mainstream ICT in climate change
activities and policies.
Looking Ahead to COP-17
 COP-17: 28 November - 9 December 2011,
Durban (South Africa)
 Linking ICTs with the Cancun Agreements:
 The role of technology is already well recognized in
the UNFCCC process (through the Technology
Mechanisms and the Climate Technology Center and
Network – CTCN- established in the Cancun
Agreements)
 Innovation and the transfer and dissemination of
technologies, including ICTs, is key to both
mitigation and adaptation.
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Conclusion
“Climate change is
affecting Ghana’s
economic output and
livelihoods and is a threat
to our development
prospects. This is now
everybody’s business,
and all stakeholders need
to be part of the
response.”
The Honourable Haruna Iddrisu,
Minister of Communications,
Ghana
It is time to include ICTs in Ghana’s adaptation policy process.
ITU Workshop on Progressing the Climate
Agenda Through Green ICTs
 Where: Seoul, Korea
 When: 19 September
2011
 Objective: to move
forward the agenda on
using ICTs to monitor
climate change, mitigate
and adapt to its effects.

Organiser

Host
Links & Additional
Information
 ITU-T and climate change
http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/climatechange
 ITU and climate change
http://www.itu.int/climate
 ITU Symposia & Events on ICTs and Climate Change
http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/climatechange
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Thank you!
Grazie mille!
[email protected]
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