Communicating Information for Energy and Development

Climate change presents current and long-term challenges to development. Agriculture employs up to 80% of the people in the developing world. Access to energy services is critical to economic development, but managing emissions is critical for limiting climate change impacts. Weather and climate are critical inputs for agriculture and renewable energy generation. The climate is changing, creating challenges in sectors vital to growth in developing countries. Climate variability and change already deter economic growth, and fundamental structural changes are required to achieve low-carbon economies that are resilient to a new climate regime. To ensure that development efforts are sustainable, climate change must be accounted for in key sectors. Hydrologic and meteorological information are scarce or hard to access in many developing countries, depriving planners of information they need to design resilient programs and projects. New web platforms can provide access to data and tools from organizations with global resources such as NASA and NOAA, as well as to information developed at local research centres tailored to local needs. Using the web to provide access to data and tools in developing countries can help overcome the information deficit that contributes to slow development.