Recent advances in AI have fundamentally changed how we predict the weather, making forecasting cheaper, faster and better — we can now track even the most unusual weather event with almost pinpoint accuracy. Such accuracy has never been more urgent. With climate change making weather more extreme, unpredictable and dangerous, knowing how much rain a storm may bring, or how long a drought could last, can be a matter of life and death. In this episode, we explore this quiet revolution in forecasting, why this knowledge must also drive policy change and, in the face of growing water shortages, how AI is helping us tap an unexpected new source.
Featured in this episode:
Pedram Hassanzadeh is an associate professor in the department of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago and director of the AI for Climate Initiative at the Data Science Institute.
Catherine Nakalembe is an assistant professor in the University of Maryland’s department of geographical sciences, founder of the Xylem Lab and the Africa program director for NASA Harvest.
Tatiana Estevez is the founder and CEO of Permalution, a startup working on fog water collection technology and climate adaptation solutions.
Further reading:
Forecasting the future: The role of artificial intelligence in transforming weather prediction and policy
Designing probabilistic AI monsoon forecasts to inform agricultural decision-making
AI can predict disaster, but it can’t save you
Seeds of impact: Catherine Nakalembe’s trailblazing path
Fight Canada’s water shortage with fog
Permalution: transforming fog into water for climate adaptation
The end of the European summer
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