Using Data Science to Avoid an Existential Climate Crisis
Chris Jones, Director
CoolClimate Network
The climate crisis is upon us. At this point there is little chance of meeting global, national and local climate targets. At best, our collective efforts will prevent some of the worst consequences of climate change from happening this century. This reality leaves many of us in an existential crisis. Will we look back on our lives and think that we’ve done enough?
In this follow up to last semester’s “20 under-appreciated problems” talk, I’d like explore attendee’s thoughts on how to best channel our collective resources to address the crisis. At least part of the answer lies in applying pressure on the largest levers and tapping latent potential for change. In this light, I will present recent work from EcoDataLab, an undergraduate internship program to automate GHG inventories, indicators and decision-making tools in California and the United States. This work is uncovering new insights and opportunities for policy, technology and behavior change to transform our economy from local to national scales.
Join the conversation to explore how we may support each other to be effective enough to avoid an existential climate crisis. This may involve occasional deep dives into data science, GHG accounting, climate policy and activism.