Climate change and digital technologies affect everyone, but their impacts are not evenly distributed. Vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, rural farmers, Indigenous communities and people with disabilities are often hit hardest by climate change and environmental degradation while benefiting the least from digital advancements.
Digital technology holds immense potential for both mitigating and adapting to climate change. It not only enables the development of innovations that drive climate action but also offers powerful tools and solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve climate resilience. For example, a 2018 study by the Exponential Roadmap Initiative showed that digital technology could reduce global emissions by 15 percent through solutions in sectors like energy, manufacturing, agriculture and land use, buildings, services, transportation and traffic management.
UNDP has been supporting the enhancement and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in over 120 countries through its Climate Promise initiative. UNDP provides direct support to climate change mitigation and adaptation in over 110 countries, including 22 Small Island Developing States and 44 countries in fragile or extremely fragile contexts, managing an active portfolio of over US$2 billion whilst mobilising over $7 billion in co-financing. Nature-based solutions and chemical and waste management interventions also contribute to integrated climate action.
UNDP has identified numerous applications for digital technologies within its climate change portfolio. For example:
Digitalization will accelerate better planning, monitoring and implementation of NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAP) across key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, land management, transport and energy. This must be coupled with promoting just transition principles and approaches whilst mitigating potential negative impacts such as increased GHG emissions from the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, misinformation or digital divide-driven inequality.
This section presents society-level opportunities and risks related to digital technology in the context of climate action. These insights can help form programme-level theories of change and inspire programme teams on how digital technology can support climate change-related programme activities, while remaining aware of the risks it presents.
UNDP’s newly established Climate Hub delivers the UN system’s largest portfolio of support on climate action in more than 140 countries. This portfolio is worth over $2 billion in grant financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), UNDP’s core donors and other bilateral contributions. Given the existing strong network of national, regional and global technical expertise, climate action programming is strongly recommended to leverage extant global offers. The Digital Programming Areas were designed on the basis of common needs in the portfolio and built for scale across countries in close collaboration between the Chief Digital Office and the BPPS Climate Hub. The Digital Programming Areas do not exclude local or bottom-up solutions, which also can become the seed for future scalable interventions. To find out more about each of the interventions below, please contact your Regional Technical Advisor or Coordinator.
As countries work to improve NDC monitoring and reporting to meet the requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework under the Paris Agreement Article 13, many are developing digital NDC transparency systems at national and sectoral levels. In addition, to enable carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, digital carbon registries will be needed to manage carbon credits at the national level whilst maintaining interoperability with international systems. Various MRV tools can support transparency efforts and increase access to environmental finance mechanisms, such as PES schemes. Under this programming area, UNDP will:
Data-driven planning, policy-making and monitoring are essential capacities that require long-term capacity building, involving national governments, local actors, academia and the private sector. UNDP will provide capacity development and catalyse digital and data partnerships to support these efforts. Under this programming area, UNDP will:
Climate data and information form the basis for climate-related interventions and are crucial for science-based planning and the investment processes of both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Geospatial and socio-economic data inform vulnerability and impact assessments of society and infrastructure with respect to weather extremes and climate change. This information helps identify current and future key risks and areas where the public and private sectors should work together. It also highlights measures that increase resilience to weather extremes and make long-term economic sense. Under this programming area, UNDP will:
Digitally-enabled climate change mitigation and adaptation across key sectors will also create green jobs and livelihoods. UNDP will support Green Transition Digital Readiness Assessments and the development of a Digital Roadmap to identify entry points for interventions within NDC sectors. UNDP will also advise on the use of existing technological solutions (prioritising south-south and south-south-north “triangle” cooperation) and provide advisory services with respect to policy-level digital transformation.
Empowering local communities, civil society and MSMEs, including by building national and local digital ecosystems, is crucial for climate resilience. A holistic approach is needed, encompassing the public sector, infrastructure, regulators, the private sector and citizens. Potential avenues for local capacity building and innovation are listed below, but it should be noted that UNDP’s role is not to directly build innovative apps and solutions, but rather to create an enabling environment for local communities and MSMEs to innovate themselves. UNDP can achieve this through capacity building, policy approaches, grant schemes, innovative financing mechanisms and demonstration projects. In this programming area, UNDP will:
In Malawi, digitization of decades-old datasets, live transmission of actionable data from weather stations via the cloud and public-private partnerships enable increased analysis of climate data. This allows poor rural farmers to improve profits and adapt their practices to new climate scenarios, while the government can future-proof large infrastructure investments.
In Malawi, digitization of decades-old datasets, live transmission of actionable data from weather stations via the cloud and public-private partnerships enable increased analysis of climate data. This allows poor rural farmers to improve profits and adapt their practices to new climate scenarios, while the government can future-proof large infrastructure investments.
In Serbia, small and medium-sized family farms are being supported to install solar-powered, automated irrigation systems to strengthen resilience. Through the integration of digital technology and data-driven decision-making, these farms have increased their yield by up to 30% despite facing drought and other challenging climatic conditions. This innovative approach not only enhances agricultural productivity but also sets a precedent for sustainable farming practices.
In Serbia, small and medium-sized family farms are being supported to install solar-powered, automated irrigation systems to strengthen resilience. Through the integration of digital technology and data-driven decision-making, these farms have increased their yield by up to 30% despite facing drought and other challenging climatic conditions. This innovative approach not only enhances agricultural productivity but also sets a precedent for sustainable farming practices.
In Mauritius, UNDP is supporting the government to upgrade into a smart grid, leveraging digital technologies to enhance energy efficiency and making existing power grids more efficient. This smart grid not only automatically addresses power outages but also is an enabler to Mauritius’ national transition to a low-carbon economy, by supporting the integration of renewable energy.
In Mauritius, UNDP is supporting the government to upgrade into a smart grid, leveraging digital technologies to enhance energy efficiency and making existing power grids more efficient. This smart grid not only automatically addresses power outages but also is an enabler to Mauritius’ national transition to a low-carbon economy, by supporting the integration of renewable energy.
UNDP developed an open source software National Carbon Registry as a Digital Public Good. Countries can utilize the code and develop a national registry that provides a transparent and efficient platform for stakeholders to monitor how carbon credits are issued and traded. Namibia was the first to develop a national carbon registry based on the DPG, and more countries are in the process.
UNDP developed an open source software National Carbon Registry as a Digital Public Good. Countries can utilize the code and develop a national registry that provides a transparent and efficient platform for stakeholders to monitor how carbon credits are issued and traded. Namibia was the first to develop a national carbon registry based on the DPG, and more countries are in the process.
In Mongolia, digital and geospatial technologies are being leveraged to strengthen the resilience of resource-dependent herder communities vulnerable to climate change. A key component of the project is the monitoring of changes in pastureland and land use using satellite imagery and geospatial data, to track degraded lands due to overgrazing, enabling more effective land management practices.
In Mongolia, digital and geospatial technologies are being leveraged to strengthen the resilience of resource-dependent herder communities vulnerable to climate change. A key component of the project is the monitoring of changes in pastureland and land use using satellite imagery and geospatial data, to track degraded lands due to overgrazing, enabling more effective land management practices.
PLANT, the Paris Agreement LULUCF Assessment and NDC Tool, serves as a ‘living’ tool and a constantly updated database advisory system that supports countries to implement policies for sustainability in the forest sector to advance the Paris Agreement. One of the key features of PLANT is its ability to assess Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sectors, which are critical for countries to optimize their land-use practices to reduce emissions.
PLANT, the Paris Agreement LULUCF Assessment and NDC Tool, serves as a ‘living’ tool and a constantly updated database advisory system that supports countries to implement policies for sustainability in the forest sector to advance the Paris Agreement. One of the key features of PLANT is its ability to assess Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sectors, which are critical for countries to optimize their land-use practices to reduce emissions.
The India Accelerator Lab developed an open data, open algorithm geospatial platform to analyse climate resilient policies. Accredited as a Digital Public Good, DiCRA provides a comprehensive analysis of climate-resilient agriculture policies using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms. By integrating ground-truth data from citizen scientists, DiCRA ensures the accuracy and relevance of its policy recommendations. The tool enables informed and improved development and implementation of climate-resilient agriculture policies, which ultimately leads to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector.
The India Accelerator Lab developed an open data, open algorithm geospatial platform to analyse climate resilient policies. Accredited as a Digital Public Good, DiCRA provides a comprehensive analysis of climate-resilient agriculture policies using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms. By integrating ground-truth data from citizen scientists, DiCRA ensures the accuracy and relevance of its policy recommendations. The tool enables informed and improved development and implementation of climate-resilient agriculture policies, which ultimately leads to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector.
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