Global Connectivity Program

This fact sheet describes the Global Connectivity Program of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), which focuses on the role of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the 'global connectivity system' in advancing sustainable development.

• The IISD Global Connectivity Program aims to facilitate the flow of knowledge, learning, and leadership required for global sustainability, asserting that communications technologies are essential to underpin global change. The program emphasizes that achieving results in climate change, energy, and resource management requires 'clear, effective policies and protocols' for the 'global connectivity system.'
• Sustainable development efforts require open and accessible global communications infrastructures to support relationship building and knowledge exchange. Specifically, networked tools are needed for better environmental data collection and resource monitoring, though the program also notes that the negative environmental impacts of ICTs must be 'understood and minimized or eliminated.'
• Several global trends drive the interest in connectivity, including the rise of 'smart' systems (such as energy grids, buildings, and transportation) and sensor networks in watersheds and environmentally sensitive regions to monitor resource use. Additionally, the virtual world is shifting toward 'horizontal, less authenticated discourse' where social media networks and central destination sites are replacing search engines for information transfer.
• Citing McKinsey, the document states that Internet-related expenditure and consumption now exceed those of the energy or agriculture sectors, and the Internet's total contribution to global GDP is greater than the individual GDPs of Canada or Spain.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2011). Global Connectivity Program. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/brochure_global_connectivity.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Global Connectivity Program. 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/brochure_global_connectivity.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Global Connectivity Program |date=2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/brochure_global_connectivity.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2011global, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Global Connectivity Program}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/brochure_global_connectivity.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }