Information an d Communication Technologies in the

Anthropocen e

Accepted panel for the Resilience 2011 Conference, Arizona State University
http://www.resilience2011.org/

Conference Theme: Knowledge, innovation, and social-ecological learning

Organizers: Stockholm Resilience Centre (Stockholm University, Sweden) and

International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

Contact: Victor Galaz, Stockholm Resilience Centre (Stockholm University, Sweden):

victor.galaz@stockholmresilience.su.se

A number of major trends are rapidly shaping the planet. One of them is related to the
fact that humans are now the chief driver of global environmental change such as climate
change. Another - considerably less explored by resilience and sustainability science
scholars - is related to the rapid and almost explosive growth of data volumes and
information processing capabilities driven by a whole host of emerging information and
communications technologies (ICT), including sensor networks and the eruption of social
media - such as Twitter, blogs and YouTube.

The foll ow ing p an el i s the fir st a tt e mpt ev er to bring to get he r wo rld le adi ng
in sti tut e s t o e lab or ate th e ch all en ge s fo r re sil ie nc e t hin ki ng th at e me rge
fro m th e se t wo i nt er se ct ing tr en ds.

Despite the explicit interest among resilience scholars in topics such as adaptability,
flexibility, and innovation, we know surprisingly little about the repercussions of a rapidly
changing information landscape and media environment, on collective action, learning
and governance for resilience. This is worrisome considering the fundamental role
information processing and dissemination plays for monitoring, collective problem solving,
information diffusion, and coordinated responses in complex settings.

In this panel, we are particularly interested in moving beyond current discussions of the
role of Web 2.0 or social media for society in general, and will instead focus on three
emerging topics with fundamental implications for societies’ ability to spur innovation,
learn from change, and deal with global challenges such as climate change and
additional Earth system challenges (Rockström et al 2009, Walker et al 2009). The topics
are: the potential role for i) large scale virtual deliberation and decision-making, ii) digitally
supported problem solving or “collective intelligence”, and iii) innovative ICT-supported
local approaches that build resilience towards social and ecological stresses and shocks.

For ma t: The panel will consist of four presenters (15 min each), followed by a 30 min
discussion moderated by the chair. Invited speakers represent very different aspects of
the topics presented above, but discussions will be guided by one main question: “How
can ICT’s play a role in coping with global environmental stresses and shocks, help steer
away from catastrophic thresholds, and support innovation and learning that builds
resilience?”

Spe a ker s:

Speaker 1. Ola Tjornbo, Social Innovation Generation, University of Waterloo: “Open

Source Democracy - Virtual Problem Solving and Deliberation”

Speaker 2. Angelica Ospina, Centre for Development Informatics, Institute for

Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester: “ICTs, climate change
and development”

Speaker 3. Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, Planetary Skin Institute/Cisco Systems, Inc:

“Creating a Connected Commons - Why collaborative networks can help solve
apparently intractable common good problems”

Speaker 4. Masse Lo, ENDA Tiers Monde, Dakar (Senegal): “Using GIS as a crowd-
sourcing tool for decision-making in natural resource management”

Ch ai r: Victor Galaz, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University.