Climate change has been receiving a lot of attention for a long time. Everywhere is seeing the adverse effects of climate change. For instance, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cities are frequently experiencing waterlogging, and deforestation is increasing. Within this century, sea levels will rise by two to seven feet. Wide-ranging effects of climate change include those on finances and public safety.
For instance, according to Weather Analytics, a climate data provider, the weather affects 33% of the global GDP. There is ample evidence of the harmful impacts of natural disasters such as tornadoes, tsunamis, wildfires, and hurricanes.
What effects might climate change policy have if big data and predictive analytics are not present?
Without big data and predictive analytics, it should go without saying that any policies or strategies to combat climate change will be extremely limited and one-dimensional. Without considering big data, the following hypothetical scenarios might be possible:
The estimate of the number of carbon emissions that must be reduced globally may be drastically incorrect. Consider a situation where nations decide to reduce carbon emissions from all sources, such as automobiles, air conditioners, and industrial plants, by 2% over the next five years. However, a minimum reduction of 5% was required given the current situation. Insufficient emission reduction leads to increased global warming, illnesses, and other issues.
Sea levels are increasing due to glaciers melting more quickly than before. Coastal regions are particularly at risk because of this. Proactive measures like housing relocation, rehabilitation planning, and other steps could be put off or insufficient without reliable analytics and projections.
Worldwide environmental changes and ecological imbalances may go largely ignored. The proper perspective might only be developed if up-to-date data-based perspectives are given to the appropriate forum. Data comparison and tracking of environmental and ecological changes over time are crucial.
Predictive analytics and big data’s effects on climate change policies:
Big data and predictive analytics have considerably impacted policies and tactics intended to address the climate change problem. Companies in the public and private sectors have been creating innovative tools and technology that support the development of cutting-edge climate change strategies. Naturally, these tools and technologies are built on data analytics. Every second, an enormous amount of data on various factors, including temperature change, sea level changes, forest cover, and carbon emissions, are gathered and processed. Get a detailed explanation of Predictive analytics techniques in a data analytics course.
Floating Seas:
Climate Central, a nonprofit, independent organization, created the interactive map and tool. Surging Seas provide information on the escalating sea levels in the US. Using the map, you can view flood warnings, action plans, sea level patterns, historical data, embedded widgets, and more. You can also see accurate sea levels at various locations. Our strategy is to inform people about their local climate in ways they can understand, and the only way to do that, in the words of Climate Central’s vice president for strategic communications and director of research, Richard Wiles, “is through big data analysis.”
Google Earth Engine:
The Google Earth Engine compares environmental conditions across years or decades and pinpoints issues so that they can be rectified. Iran’s Lake Urmia, a salt lake, serves as an illustration of how this operates. According to Google Earth, the lake was a turquoise blue tint in 1984. The color has turned green after a while. In 2012, everything was brown. Similarly to this, Amazonian deforestation has been monitored. The engine gathers openly accessible satellite imagery to pinpoint environmental damage worldwide.
Worldwide Forest Power:
It is a technology that aids in monitoring the global forest cover. It gives an interactive map with a wealth of data, including forest cover, deforestation in a particular area, and forest fires. The Indonesian government, Nestle, and Unilever are just a few organizations that employ this program, which is well-liked.
Summary:
Big data and analytics are obviously changing how governments define their climate change policy. Big data actually seems to be a necessary part of climate policies. Massive quantities of complex climatic data may now be processed using data science, which also offers real-time analytics and the ability to create correlations as necessary. Almost all of the solutions above can deliver real-time data. But big data has its limitations. After considering all the available information, it is up to the stakeholders to take specific action.