The Key to Effective Climate Solutions: Evidence-Based Policies
According to Michal Nachmany, the founder and CEO of the environmental nonprofit Climate Policy Radar, addressing climate change requires more than just modifying behavior and advancing technology. She emphasizes that policy plays a crucial role in finding genuine solutions to this pressing issue.
“A lot of this is policy,”
Nachmany stresses the need for improved laws, policies, and regulations, as well as holding policymakers and corporations accountable for their inadequate efforts. However, comprehending the vast landscape of existing policies and determining their effectiveness is a daunting task.
Harnessing AI to Navigate the Climate Policy Landscape
Climate Policy Radar aims to leverage artificial intelligence to make sense of the complex and extensive climate policy space. By doing so, the organization seeks to ensure that future laws and policies are grounded in evidence. The nonprofit has collected an impressive database of climate laws, policies, strategies, and action plans from governments worldwide, amounting to a staggering 470,000 pages or 4.5 million paragraphs.
The Importance of Augmented Intelligence
Nachmany points out that relying solely on general language AI systems is insufficient for analyzing these policies. She explains that such systems often draw from unreliable data sources, generate inaccurate information, and exhibit undesirable behaviors that can compromise decision-making. To overcome these challenges, Climate Policy Radar employs augmented intelligence, which combines human expertise with machine learning to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the analysis.
Promoting Climate Justice through Free Access to Data
As a not-for-profit organization, Climate Policy Radar is committed to providing its continuously updated data free of charge. The organization recognizes that those who are most in need of this information are often the least able to afford it. By offering open access to its resources, Climate Policy Radar aims to promote climate justice and empower individuals and organizations working to influence decision-makers.
“The people who need the data the most are the ones least able to pay for it. So, there’s a really strong climate justice element to this.”
An Invitation to Collaborate
Nachmany extends an invitation to anyone interested in collaborating with Climate Policy Radar. The organization has a community of practitioners ready to work with individuals and groups seeking to engage with decision-makers. As Climate Policy Radar is still in the early stages of its journey, Nachmany encourages those who wish to contribute to reach out and get involved.
This article appears in the March/April 2024 issue of The Zero Byte UK magazine.
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Harnessing AI for climate policy sounds promising, but will it be enough to drive real change without strong political will behind it