The Role of ICT MNCs in Climate Adaptation Through Disaster Response: Motivations, Technology, and Climate Security Implications

Abstract

Climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of natural disasters with devastating effects, particularly in developing countries where vulnerabilities are amplified, while traditional disaster management and governance systems are increasingly overstretched. These climate-driven crises, which cost billions and displace millions annually, demand urgent adaptation to mitigate their catastrophic impacts on fragile societies. Multinational corporations (MNCs), especially those from the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, are emerging as critical actors in disaster response, leveraging their resources and expertise to support relief and recovery efforts. This dissertation examines the role of ICT MNCs in addressing natural disasters, and explores their interventions, motivations, and potential to mitigate climate security risks by enhancing resilience in vulnerable regions. Through a multi-method approach, including bibliometric analysis, content analysis of sustainability reports, and a qualitative case study, this research reveals the growing involvement of ICT MNCs in disaster response by utilizing their technological capabilities to bridge critical gaps. However, a concerning geographical disparity is identified with declining corporate engagement in developing countries, despite their increased vulnerability. The case study of ICT MNCs' response to the 2024 Cyclone Hidaya floods in Kenya proposes the empirically grounded TEC Response framework (Triggering response–Engagement motivation–Championing technology), illustrating how corporate interventions are triggered by local presence, driven by a complex interplay of corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical imperatives, and strategic interests, and implemented by leveraging core technological competencies. This dissertation affirms established CSR theory and contributes novel empirical insights to private governance scholarship by providing empirical evidence of the strategic and ethical dimensions of MNC involvement in disaster contexts and by highlighting their voluntary, uneven, and often unaccountable role in disaster governance, including their capacity to mitigate or inadvertently reinforce climate-induced vulnerabilities. The findings offer practical insights for policymakers and MNCs, emphasizing the importance of cross-sector collaboration, technological integration, and long-term resilience-building to enhance equitable and sustainable disaster management and climate adaptation efforts while addressing critical gaps in mitigating climate-induced vulnerabilities in fragile settings.