Sustainable Digitalization and the Triple Planetary Crisis in West Asia

Abstract

There are three key environmental crises that are uniquely challenging for the West Asia region, these are the climate change crisis, the pollution, and waste crisis, and the biodiversity loss crisis. Digitalization will be crucial to addressing these crises and in achieving the SDGs by 2030. Digital technology has the potential to support countries in West Asia to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report is a call to action for policymakers in West Asia to lean in and embrace the opportunities of digitalization for sustainability. The report provides a state of digitalization in West Asia and details how technology is being used to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and the opportunities to scale these technologies. It outlines rapid digitalization’s negative impacts on the environment. Finally, the report discusses the opportunities to benefit from sustainable digitalization. Finally, it presents ten “Calls to Action” for West Asia to take the lead globally in digitalization for sustainability.