Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ... - ITU

3.2.1 Using ICTs to improve waste management
Globally, energy savings of the order of 46 GJ per tonne can be made by recycling ICT hardware and
avoiding the need to mine/extract raw materials, especially highly energy intensive materials such as rare
metals in personal computers 109 . Greater use of recycling and the safe disposal of e-waste can therefore
assist in reducing the amount of GHGs released and therefore the effects of climate change, and introduce
greater sustainability of supply to the ICT industry.
An example of how to do this is through the development of smartphone applications to help users to
locate recycling and garbage bins. For example, the winning smartphone application of the first ITU’s Green
ICT Application Challenge, produced by Lis Lugo Colls from Spain, enables users to locate their closest
recycling points so helping to reduce pollution and GHG emissions caused by e-waste 110 .
Suggested action: The EPA and MoC or other appropriate agency in Ghana should support the adoption
of intelligent systems for recycling and other forms of recovery, thereby decreasing the waste fraction
that goes to final disposal and incineration.
3.2.2 Using ICTs to increase energy-efficient supply and maximize the use of renewable sources
ICTs can be used to maximise the efficiency of power systems. Their computing and communication
capabilities are essential if power from renewable resources such as geothermal, solar, wind, wave and tidal
are to be harnessed efficiently and fed into the electricity grid in a smart way.
Ghana is already providing 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, although the production
from predominantly hydroelectric schemes can be variable and unreliable. ICTs could play a useful role in
controlling the load on the grid and so maximise the utilisation of available power from other renewable
sources.
3.2.3 Using ICTs in education to raise awareness and build capacity on climate change
Educational content can be delivered via ICT networks and services to students in their home communities
thus saving travel costs and increasing the penetration of information. Teleconferencing and audio
conferencing are now used extensively in education. A study carried out by the Open University in the
United Kingdom, which focuses on distance learning, shows that “On average, the production and provision
of the distance learning courses consumed nearly 90 per cent less energy and produced 85 per cent fewer
CO2 emissions than the conventional campus-based university courses 111 ”. Universal broadband access
would allow educational content to be delivered direct to local schools and homes thereby limiting the
need for travel to distant schools or cybercafés. ICTs can also be used for building capacity on climate
change issues and sharing knowledge between professionals.
The challenge is to build a national broadband infrastructure and offer convenient access for every
Ghanaian.
Suggested action: See action under paragraph 3.2.4.
3.2.4 Using ICTs in healthcare
Use of ICTs in healthcare is known as e-Health (or Health Informatics). Healthcare practice can be supported
by electronic processes and communication. ICT tools used in e-Health include not only computers but also
clinical guidelines, formal medical terminologies, and information and communication systems. E-Health
can apply to nursing, clinical care, dentistry, pharmacy, public health and (bio) medical research 112 .
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