The United Nations recently adopted the UN Pact For The Future, its latest framework aimed at addressing global challenges and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reforming international financial systems to better serve developing nations, tackling climate change, and governing emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. We take a closer look at what this means for climate science.
The current effects of climate and the increasingly analytical understanding of what will happen in the future. Big data and the challenges of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Increasingly detailed and understandable climate data to better define policies and strategies for the interaction between human societies and nature. The European State of the Climate 2023 through the lens of CMCC’s research strategy in the words of Simona Masina, director of the Institute for Earth System Prediction, and Monia Santini, director of the Institute for Climate Resilience.
Around 40% of the global population resides on coasts, with many relying on coastal resources for sustenance. Climate change exacerbates coastal hazards, compelling decision-makers and asset owners to address coastal resilience. Delphine Lobelle, Climate & Nature advisor at Fugro, highlights the importance of understanding coastal dynamics to empower stakeholders and promote proactive measures for coastal resilience.
Science writes stories about people, communities, and cities along the thin area that separates the sea from land, where one of the most important challenges with regards to climate change is playing out. Innovation, technology, research, local communities, and global policy meet here.
“Whether or not we keep up with the needs of policymakers will be determined by how much they trust the results from models and how relevant they are to their needs.” Professor John Weyant of Stanford University discusses the evolution of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), emphasizing the importance of incorporating growing datasets to meet policymakers’ needs. The Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC) gathers leading climate modeling experts, facilitating crucial advancements in scenario development for climate policy. Its contributions, including defining concepts like Net-Zero, are crucial in informing international climate agreements and shaping future strategies for combating climate change.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is showing an ability to provide faster and more accurate medium-range weather forecasts at a global level using fewer computational resources. Remi Lam presents GraphCast, the open-source machine-learning model produced by the AI firm Google DeepMind. Delivering 10-day weather predictions in less than one minute, the model could benefit people’s everyday lives across the globe, as well as providing better warnings for extreme events.
Machine learning has emerged as a transformative tool in climate research, evolving from theory to practice over the past few decades. In this context, CMCC is expanding its focus beyond traditional climate modeling to include the study of environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change through data-driven approaches. This transformation is expected to involve all-encompassing capacity building, with substantial infrastructure investments alongside efforts to enhance the knowledge base of scientists.
From the controversy surrounding scientific papers written by AI powered chatbots and their contributions to carbon emissions, to the greater role of AI in providing climate solutions including accurate and timely information, is AI a force for good or evil when talking about the climate?
It can leverage new technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning to greatly improve the selection, processing and use of the vast amounts of climate data we currently have. The result? More informed and effective decision making from the local to the global level. Scientists, startuppers and representatives of EU institutions dialogue on funding opportunities, innovation and applications.
For some, they are a threat. For others, an opportunity. Chatbots based on artificial intelligence hold centre stage in the international debate. In the meantime, top scientific journals announced new editorial policies that ban or curtail researchers from using them to write scientific papers.
Cutting-edge research to improve our understanding of climate change and its impact on our socioeconomic systems: from CMCC scientists, ten issues at the forefront of the climate-neutral world.
By connecting the real and virtual worlds digital twins help create, test and deploy the disruptive technologies and ideas needed to respond to the climate crisis at an unprecedented pace. A look at how experts such as Peter Bauer, Director of Destination Earth at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, are using digital twins to help plan and define the future.
