The idea of using technology to combat climate change has been around for a while, but a new report from the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific finds that there's a huge untapped market for young people in the region to do just that.
The report, released Tuesday, notes that youth "play a critical role due to their ability to rapidly adopt andutilize new technologies, and their innovative spirit, freshperspectives, and passion are vital for creating digital solutions for complex challenges," per a press release.
Examples of how young people in Asia and the Pacific are using technology to combat climate change include using artificial intelligence to save time and resources, as well as mobile apps that make it easier for people in rural areas to access financial services, the New York Times reports.
The report, which will be presented to the UN's General Assembly next month, notes that there are many barriers to youth involvement in digital innovation in Asia and the Pacific, including low access to technology and education, gender inequality, and the fact that many young women are hesitant to pursue careers in technology because of "associo-cultural norms," per the Times.
But there are some policies in place to help overcome these obstacles, including the Youth-led Digital
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Jim Fruchterman founded the now 24-year-old social enterprise Benetech, a nonprofit tech company that focuses on developing technology for social good. Fruchterman has also launched a new initiative called Bookshare, which is a membership-only crowdsourced online library for people with disabilities.