ICTs, the Internet and Sustainability: An interview with Angela Cropper

The interview explores the need to integrate economic models with social and environmental outcomes, the role of ICTs in facilitating global sustainability through information access and stakeholder communication, and the specific vulnerabilities of small island states in the Caribbean. Angela Cropper critiques the failure of global leadership since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and argues for a shift from intergovernmental commitments toward broader societal transformation.

• Angela Cropper identifies three primary priorities for sustainability: reforming the economic model to integrate social and environmental objectives, changing the culture of development through education, and respecting planetary boundaries.
• ICTs and the Internet support sustainability by providing the foundation for accessing information on social, economic, and environmental conditions, enabling dialogue among diverse stakeholders, and harmonizing global commitments.
• While ICTs can improve industrial and energy efficiency, they are also significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and electronic waste, including the use of rare earth metals.
• Small island countries, specifically in the Caribbean, face unique sustainability challenges due to structural limitations of small size, increased vulnerability to climate change, and disproportionately small investments.
• There has been a significant failure of both political and institutional leadership in the two decades following the 1992 Rio summit, leading to a loss of focus and urgency in implementing the Rio agenda.
• The Brundtland Commission's definition of sustainability is viewed as insufficient because it over-emphasized intergenerational equity while neglecting contemporary equity and the ecological dimension.

APA

Souter, D. (2012). ICTs, the Internet and Sustainability: An interview with Angela Cropper. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_icts_cropper.pdf

Chicago

Souter, David. ICTs, the Internet and Sustainability: An interview with Angela Cropper. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_icts_cropper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Souter |first1=David |title=ICTs, the Internet and Sustainability: An interview with Angela Cropper |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_icts_cropper.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{souter2012icts, author = {Souter, David}, title = {{ICTs, the Internet and Sustainability: An interview with Angela Cropper}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_icts_cropper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }