Information and communication technologies and climate change adaptation in Latin America and the Caribbean: a framework for action

Despite ongoing interest in deploying information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development, their use in climate change adaptation remains understudied. Based on the integration of adaptation theory and the existing literature on the use of ICTs in development, we present an analytical model for conceptualizing the contribution of existing ICTs to adaptation, and a framework for evaluating ICT success. We apply the framework to four case studies of ICTs in use for early warning systems and managing extreme events in the Latin American and the Caribbean countries. We propose that existing ICTs can support adaptation through enabling access to critical information for decision-making, coordinating actors and building social capital. ICTs also allow actors to communicate and disseminate their decision experience, thus enhancing opportunities for collective learning and continual improvements in adaptation processes. In this way, ICTs can both communicate the current and potential impacts of climate change, as well as engage populations in the development of viable adaptation strategies.