| |
| |
 |
Information
technology can help Europe put environmental governance in the hands of
the people. But in this region, limited finances and unclear institutional
roles remain obstacles. — By Jerome Simpson
According to the EU Commission, Internet access should be a fundamental right for all citizens, a right that national governments have a duty to protect. The commission's "eEurope" strategy aims to assure access to ICTs to every individual, school, company, and administrative body, making sure that information technologies are exploited as fully as possible to improve quality of life in the EU. Europeans should have direct and interactive online access to knowledge, education, training, government, health services, culture and entertainment and financial services. The goal is to make the EU the most competitive, knowledge-based society in the world by 2010. ICT has gained significant ground in the environmental sector. The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters requires that "environmental information progressively becomes available in electronic databases which are easily accessible to the public through public telecommunications networks." Since 2000, the Electronic Tools Task Force, a body set up under the convention, has worked to raise awareness of potential ICT solutions, share know-how and promote best practice. At its last meeting in Sofia in June, the task force agreed to draft recommendations on the more effective use of electronic information tools to provide public access to environmental information. In practice its pollutant release and transfer mechanism already relies heavily on ICT to receive, manage, store and publish company emissions data on the Internet in the form of "polluter league tables." ICT offers great potential to fulfil the EU's legal requirements -- and save costs. As the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) noted in a recent position paper, providing electronic access to documents can avoid many of the costs associated with photocopying and posting documents. Citizens with Internet access can access documents on a website 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. The issue of time limits within which a public authority must respond to a citizen's information request becomes irrelevant, because the information is readily accessible. And finally, information in electronic form is easier to process. It can be electronically searched, cut and pasted, exported to other databases and manipulated in numerous other ways. At the World Summit on the Information Society (an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union to be hosted by the United Nations in Geneva in December), some task force representatives and others will present several best practices on the contribution ICT can make to good environmental governance, and highlight how the NGO sector has reached an advanced stage in the use of ICT. Environmental information systems can include networks of institutions using not only electronic tools but also traditional mechanisms. These support the manipulation and flow of information from monitoring stations to stakeholders, be they decision-makers or citizens. Why the diversity? Because those very same stakeholders rely on a plethora of mechanisms to receive and share information, based on a variety of factors that range from personal interest to level of education, ethnic background to economic well-being and so on. Understanding these is key to raising awareness and understanding of the environment, and ultimately of course to bettering it.
This is close to ideal. Central and Eastern Europe has also made solid progress. Due in part to EU accession, Poland's environmental information managers have elaborated a sophisticated acquisition, archiving and indexing system for environment and pollutant emissions data collected (both automatically and on paper)from its 16 Regional Inspectorates of Environmental Protection. The system also provides access to this data in real time through an Internet portal at the main state inspectorate for environmental protection. The site has a user-friendly front-end that translates this data into meaningful information for citizens. "Realising this integrated reporting system has only been possible through considerable investments in ICT (database management systems, network devices, geographical information systems [GIS] etc.), structural changes, documentation and training courses," noted Andrzej Kraszewski, of Warsaw's University of Technology, Institute of Environmental Engineering Systems. Estonia, the region's run away e-tiger, now boasts online access to most government services and environmental information, and is very advanced in involving its citizens in decision-making processes online at the A new REC report entitled " Snapshot of Environmental Information Systems in South Eastern Europe" details current progress and future priorities in each country and territory in the Balkans. In FYR Macedonia for instance, installation of a relational database management system has enabled its Environmental Information Centre to store all structured and non-structured environmental data. Previously all data was stored in a variety of data formats, including printed documents. Initially the system will provide a means to manage air quality data, but over time it will be extended to water, noise, soil, biodiversity, waste and more. "Worldwide web interfacing will ensure multi-stakeholder access, and in time GIS connectivity," noted Zoran Lozanovski, IT Advisor at the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. Quite interesting then in FYR Macedonia is the turnaround in NGO opinion on the authorities' provision of environmental information: In 2001, 75 percent of NGOs felt they did not respond to information requests satisfactorily. By 2003, 95 percent approved of the ministry's efforts in this area. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Branko Vucijak, external assistant to the Federal Ministry of Physical Planning and Environment, said, "There is still no systematic collection, storage or reporting of water and air quality data in any format, in either entity, although there are voluntary initiatives in this area. "Nevertheless, the ministries in both entities agreed to press ahead with developing Internet portals to enable citizens to access existent environmental data, key contact information and other resources which contribute to the government's own visibility. In Romania and Bulgaria, data exchange was highlighted as a key challenge, with the need to move away from telex use and to install Internet lines highlighted as key priorities. In Kosovo (territory under interim UN administration), it was found that a number of key environmental elements were not sufficiently monitored. Financing is just one of the challenges faced by these countries. Inadequate legal frameworks, lack of clarity of participating institutions' responsibilities, limited expertise, and, on occasion, a lack of interest among senior managers remain hindrances to ICT development. The same problems can be seen elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe. Technology transfer typically requires several steps, which may involve relocating personnel; ensuring the availability of local technical expertise and so on. But technology transfer can also be used to avoid past mistakes. The success of environmental information systems depends on constant evaluation of achievements and failures, as well as the needs and reactions of users. Innovation and development are crucial given the ever increasing needs for data, formats and technologies. The EC has taken a step in the right direction with its upcoming proposal for a reporting framework directive that aims to create a more effective system for reporting data on the environment by integrating national obligations toward the European Environment Agency, Eurostat, the EC, the EU's Sixth Environmental Action Programme, the Aarhus Convention and so on. Another promising initiative is "Inspire," aiming to standardise formats for the use of geographic information. Information users, including NGOs, must be consulted to ensure that information and delivery formats meet their needs. A recent REC research project found a Bosnian NGO that complained that official information should "be written in a common language," a sentiment that was echoed across the Balkans. There's one more thing that information providers should tend to: how the data is delivered. It's worth considering the fact that not all of us are "wired," and many of us may prefer to read a newspaper or visit the library than receive an SMS or read a PDF. "Equitable access" is the emerging catch phrase, and many believe libraries would best achieve this. Traditional access points for credible information, libraries can be excellent community repositories for environmental news and resources. The advantage is the already existing infrastructure, plus the tradition of being "one of the only institutions in a local community that is open to all regardless of income, employment status, education, ethnic origin, gender or ability," said Stuart Hamilton of the International Federation of Library Associations/Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Committee in Copenhagen. Libraries may also hold the key to bridging that oft-talked about "digital divide" by providing citizens access and training to the Internet and ICTs. — Jerome Simpson is head of the REC's Information Programme |
 |
|||||||||||||||
      |
|||
|
