The World Bank has highlighted the critical role digital technologies can play in protecting people and natural resources as environmental pressures intensify worldwide. The disclosure was made in a blog post published in 2025, following the release of the Bank’s report, Reboot Development: The Economics of a Livable Planet.
According to the Bank, nine out of ten people now live in areas where land is losing productivity, air is polluted, or water is becoming scarce or unsafe. Low-income countries, it said, bear the brunt of all three challenges simultaneously, threatening public health, livelihoods, and economic growth.
The Bank emphasised that digital tools can improve access to reliable information, strengthen early warning systems, and connect at-risk communities to essential services such as healthcare, clean water, and financial assistance. Digital solutions are already transforming crisis response, enabling real-time alerts, coordinated evacuations, and rapid delivery of emergency funds during floods, droughts, and other climate-related disasters.
However, the Bank warned that access to digital technologies remains uneven. In South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 45 per cent of adults use the internet, compared with more than 80 per cent in other regions. The Bank described this disparity as a growing “resilience divide”, leaving millions without access to early warnings or emergency support.
To address this gap, the World Bank is supporting initiatives to expand digital infrastructure and early warning platforms. In Sri Lanka, for instance, the Bank-backed MOBILISE system integrates real-time weather forecasts, sensors, and vulnerability data to improve disaster coordination. During the 2024 monsoon floods in Kalutara District, the platform enabled faster responses that helped save lives.
Beyond crisis management, digital technologies are also improving agricultural efficiency and resilience. Remote sensing, mobile advisory services, and digital marketplaces are helping farmers optimise inputs, reduce waste, and secure better prices. In Ethiopia, a bank-supported programme using machine learning for fertiliser application across 20,000 wheat farms raised yields by 25 per cent, increasing profits by about $580 per hectare per season.
The Bank further noted that digital tools are central to forest protection, with satellite imagery, drones, and artificial intelligence enabling real-time detection of deforestation, while blockchain and traceability systems ensure deforestation-free supply chains. Programmes like the World Bank-led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Programme allow countries to share data to improve monitoring, predictive modelling, and evidence-based policymaking.
The World Bank concluded that closing digital access gaps and scaling innovative technologies are essential for helping communities anticipate climate risks, safeguard natural resources, and unlock sustainable economic growth.
