The International Organization for Migration and Microsoft are teaming up to use current on-the-ground experience and artificial intelligence to address extreme weather events and save lives.
Launched in September 2023, Microsoft's AI for Good Lab is working in Ethiopia, Libya, and the Maldives to collect data on the effects of several kinds of changes to the climate.
The IOM hopes that this data will allow it to target its actions to better serve people in those countries. All data will eventually be available in the organizations' Climate Action Portal.
Data collected about people in the Maldives will inform the IOM's preparation of its Early Warning for ALL and National Adaptation Plan initiatives. Sea levels are estimated to rise there by 2050. Since most of the Maldives population lives less than a meter above sea level, with about 9,000 people living in at-risk places, taking action now is crucial.
The IOM reports that 700,000 people in Ethiopia, as well as 1.5% of cropland, are susceptible to flooding. Almost 10% of them live in the Somali region along the Shabelle River, which is a crucial part of the region's agricultural process.
On the other hand, average temperatures in Libya may rise by more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Data estimates that 72% of migration pathways will cross through those areas with extreme rises in heat. This includes 100% of pathways through Jalu, the center of the Al Wahat region in eastern Libya.
All of this data has the power to create preventative action that will keep thousands of people safe.
"These projects show how local teams on the ground can unlock insights with AI to anticipate risks and respond with solutions that improve the resilience of communities," said Dr. Juan Lavista Ferres, chief data scientist and director of Microsoft's AI for Good Lab, to the IOM.
AI can also help prevent outbreaks of illness after natural disasters create unsanitary conditions. It can even help us better predict more immediate weather disasters.
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All the time 💯 While there are a variety of actions we can all take to help mitigate these changes together, this solution is one of many that can save the lives of many people around the globe.
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