Thursday, 15 May 2008
Friday, 9 May 2008
Square One: Background
The internet, and in particular the spread of ‘web 2.0’ (technologies that allow users to easily generate and share content e.g. blogs, wiki’s, social networking), are heralded as tools that are enabling society to reorganise itself along new, more open, collaborative, and participatory ways of working - unleashing ‘an unparalleled period of social creativity’ (Leadbeater, 2008). More people than ever should be able to have access to knowledge, be able to voice their opinion and take part in decision making. And for once, the world's poorest may stand to gain more than the richest from a transition to a more open global civil society.
An unparalleled unleashing of collective creativity over the next decade would be timely given the desperate need for innovation to tackle climate change – both innovation in new technologies to ‘decarbonise’ our economy and for building resilience to the inevitable impacts of past emissions. Furthermore, any new technologies need to be rapidly disseminated into the developing economies of the world. Climate change is an example of an environmental problem that does not respect traditional geopolitical boundaries. Solving the problem from within these boundaries is proving to be very difficult. Any tool that claims to provide greater opportunity for collaboration (both at the very local and very global level) leading to new perspectives is highly relevant to the problem of climate change.
The use of the internet as a communication tool for the dissemination of environmental information and raising awareness is established. The latest efforts increasingly adopt an interactive approach. For example, Greenpeace’s ‘effecientcity’ is an interactive virtual city that allows users to explore and so imagine how their own town could become self-sufficient.
But there are emerging examples of using the interactive nature of web 2.0 technologies to harness collective creativity for environmental problem solving and more directly straddling online and real-world activism. In 2007, worldwithoutoil.org, was an online, alternate reality game that allows players to play out the events that could arise from the increasing scarcity of petrol. Players, fed information through news stories, videos and emails lived out this scenario in their own lives and shared experiences through online communication (blogs, video clips etc). Players shared how they changed their habits, the problems that they faced, and how those problems could be solved.
Knowledge sharing and openness is central to internet philosophy. Web 2.0 is allowing scientific data to be collected and collated on scales not previously possible. The Encyclopaedia of Life (EOL) aims to document 1.8 million species of plants, and animals created, maintained and for the benefit of all. It is hoped that with the information in one place patterns will be easier to spot. Also of note is Google.org’s ‘Prevent and Predict’ initiative which uses information and mobile powered web 2.0 technology to empower communities to predict and prevent emerging threats (spread of disease, drought or other environmental disasters) before they become local, regional, or global crises. A major barrier to successfully modelling the impacts of climate change at a local level is a lack of data at sufficient granularity and this in turn leads to poorly informed adaptation policies.
But will the commercial sector embrace this openness of information and increased more direct participation with individuals with regard to environmental performance? Would a transition to these new kinds of relationships drive more rapid innovation to towards more sustainable technologies? There are some examples of increasing openness efforts. Mapecos.org, is a collaborative website designed to provide an even handed view of industrial environmental performance. It combines information on industrial pollution with information from facility managers about their environmental improvement efforts and makes it available through publicly available Google maps.
But how likely are all these fledgling initiatives exemplified above lead to significant environmental impact? Does web 2.0 really offer a new way to organise and mobilise a global civil society? Would more open and collaborative relationships between industry, the individual and interest groups really drive rapid innovation and make a significant contribution in problems such as climate change?
Other Links:
More examples of web2.0 use in environment see this useful blog posting:Roitch Juliana, January 2008, Using Web2.0 tools for Environmental Activism
Leadbeater, Charles, 2008, “We-think”, Profile Books, London, ISBN 978-1-86197-892-9, also http://www.charlesleadbeater.net
McGonigal, Jane, ‘Why I love Bees: A case study in collective intelligence gaming”, February 2007. available from http://www.avantgame.com/McGonigal_WhyILoveBees_Feb2007.pdf
An unparalleled unleashing of collective creativity over the next decade would be timely given the desperate need for innovation to tackle climate change – both innovation in new technologies to ‘decarbonise’ our economy and for building resilience to the inevitable impacts of past emissions. Furthermore, any new technologies need to be rapidly disseminated into the developing economies of the world. Climate change is an example of an environmental problem that does not respect traditional geopolitical boundaries. Solving the problem from within these boundaries is proving to be very difficult. Any tool that claims to provide greater opportunity for collaboration (both at the very local and very global level) leading to new perspectives is highly relevant to the problem of climate change.
The use of the internet as a communication tool for the dissemination of environmental information and raising awareness is established. The latest efforts increasingly adopt an interactive approach. For example, Greenpeace’s ‘effecientcity’ is an interactive virtual city that allows users to explore and so imagine how their own town could become self-sufficient.
But there are emerging examples of using the interactive nature of web 2.0 technologies to harness collective creativity for environmental problem solving and more directly straddling online and real-world activism. In 2007, worldwithoutoil.org, was an online, alternate reality game that allows players to play out the events that could arise from the increasing scarcity of petrol. Players, fed information through news stories, videos and emails lived out this scenario in their own lives and shared experiences through online communication (blogs, video clips etc). Players shared how they changed their habits, the problems that they faced, and how those problems could be solved.
Knowledge sharing and openness is central to internet philosophy. Web 2.0 is allowing scientific data to be collected and collated on scales not previously possible. The Encyclopaedia of Life (EOL) aims to document 1.8 million species of plants, and animals created, maintained and for the benefit of all. It is hoped that with the information in one place patterns will be easier to spot. Also of note is Google.org’s ‘Prevent and Predict’ initiative which uses information and mobile powered web 2.0 technology to empower communities to predict and prevent emerging threats (spread of disease, drought or other environmental disasters) before they become local, regional, or global crises. A major barrier to successfully modelling the impacts of climate change at a local level is a lack of data at sufficient granularity and this in turn leads to poorly informed adaptation policies.
But will the commercial sector embrace this openness of information and increased more direct participation with individuals with regard to environmental performance? Would a transition to these new kinds of relationships drive more rapid innovation to towards more sustainable technologies? There are some examples of increasing openness efforts. Mapecos.org, is a collaborative website designed to provide an even handed view of industrial environmental performance. It combines information on industrial pollution with information from facility managers about their environmental improvement efforts and makes it available through publicly available Google maps.
But how likely are all these fledgling initiatives exemplified above lead to significant environmental impact? Does web 2.0 really offer a new way to organise and mobilise a global civil society? Would more open and collaborative relationships between industry, the individual and interest groups really drive rapid innovation and make a significant contribution in problems such as climate change?
Other Links:
More examples of web2.0 use in environment see this useful blog posting:Roitch Juliana, January 2008, Using Web2.0 tools for Environmental Activism
Leadbeater, Charles, 2008, “We-think”, Profile Books, London, ISBN 978-1-86197-892-9, also http://www.charlesleadbeater.net
McGonigal, Jane, ‘Why I love Bees: A case study in collective intelligence gaming”, February 2007. available from http://www.avantgame.com/McGonigal_WhyILoveBees_Feb2007.pdf
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