Commission urges ICT use to drive SDGs

NaijaAgroNet:

The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development has urged policymakers, the private sector and other partners to make deployment of broadband infrastructure a top priority in strategies to accelerate global development and progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reports NaijaAgroNet.

A statement presented at the 2017 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which is ongoing in New York City 10-19 July 2017 to guide global efforts on the achievement of the SDGs.

The Commission, a high-powered community, including top CEO and industry leaders, senior policy-makers and government representatives, international agencies, academia and organizations concerned with development – outlines the many ways that broadband can improve global sustainable development, and in so doing, better the lives of millions around the globe.

These include addressing basic needs such as healthcare and food production, and helping lift people out of poverty through e-commerce opportunities and job growth, monitoring climate change and planetary processes, and bridging the digital gender divide.

"We must work together," said the Commission in its statement, "to harness the opportunities and benefits of ICTs, new and emerging technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, as well as broadband-based technologies, while safeguarding against their downsides and risks. This will be critical to achieve the SDGs and realize the future we want. Let us seize the historical opportunity of the SDGs to build a model of sustainable development anchored by universal access to affordable broadband technologies and digital literacy in order to fulfil a future where no one is left behind."

"The theme of the 2017 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is 'Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world'. The Broadband Commission statement to the HLPF highlights the critical role of ICTs to do so, and outlines the fundamental role broadband technology can play in helping the world achieve its most pressing sustainable development goals," said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General. "Their statement urges HLPF attendees to recognize the need for the global roll-out of broadband infrastructures, devices, applications and services to make progress towards achieving the SDGs."

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Scientists drive efforts for cleaner energy

NaijaAgroNet:

Scientists have mapped the movement of electrical charge through a material known as a metal organic framework or ‘MOF’ to improve on cleaner energy efforts, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to scientists at The Manchester University, United Kingdom, MOF was designed to host charge in future vehicle fuel cells which offer a greener alternative to traditional combustion engines.

By using a combination of X-ray and neutron techniques, NaijaAgroNet gathered that scientists now have a better understanding of the flow of charge in the material, and could begin to design more efficient fuel cells in pursuit of cleaner energy.

NaijaAgroNet reports that fuel cells convert the chemical energy of a fuel into electricity by means of a chemical reaction, and there are a variety of fuel cells available, with polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells currently used most widely.

In addition, NaijaAgroNet gathered from experts that the performance of a fuel cell depends on the electrolyte, the porous material at the centre of the cell which controls the flow of charge - to boost its efficiency, hence scientists are developing smart membranes with new materials to produce more charge.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that a team from The University of Manchester linked up with others, including the University of Nottingham, have mapped the atomic structure and workings of the metal organic framework using intense X-rays at the UK’s Diamond Light Source ‘super-microscope.’

Media Relations Officer, The University of Manchester, Joe Paxton, told NaijaAgroNet that these scientists then used neutrons to map the flow of charge, known as proton conduction, in the material for the first time.

The results, also published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, found that the protons move freely within a sphere, rather than the more common ‘jump diffusion between sites’ mechanism. This new knowledge will enable the design of improved proton conducting materials by optimising the pathway that the protons take.

Drs Sihai Yang and Martin Schröder, group leaders from The University of Manchester, said, “The success of this work will not only create new knowledge on metal organic frameworks, but also enable the building of next generation fuel cells that operate at a wider temperature range and with higher efficiency. This will help bring this technology into a reality.”

Dr Claire Murray from Diamond Light Source, said “This represents really beautiful chemistry in a new and exciting area of research. Up until now, metal organic frameworks have been mainly used for gas absorption, but scientists hope to be able to exploit proton conductivity for the production of green energy fuel cells that can operate at high temperatures and in dry conditions. Because the X-rays we generate are so intense, researchers can reveal the structure of materials in very fine detail, enabling the detection of tiny changes that could impact on their performance.”

Now the team have cracked the mechanism behind proton conductivity in the material, they have returned to the laboratory to use this information to design and study new materials with increased conductivity.

Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops 

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