AI & Climate Advocacy

Project Overview

Youth Action on Sustainable Cities through Artificial Intelligence project aims to build capacity among youth (ages 14-24) in the Global South to utilize Artificial Intelligence to make cities more sustainable, liveable and inclusive. FXB Climate Advocates-a diverse group of high school students-will lead training workshops, provide peer-to-peer mentorship, and collaborate on youth-led community climate action. As a result, participating youth will gain climate advocacy skills, technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence tools, and support to launch community projects aimed at improving urban sustainability.

 

Justification

According to the World Bank, secondary cities make up almost 40% of the world cities population. Many of the world’s nearly four billion people under the age of 30 live in urban areas, and according to UN-HABITAT, it is estimated that 60% of urban populations will be under the age of 18 by 2030. (World Bank blog, 2016) Targeting youth living in secondary cities is critical to addressing broader urbanization challenges.

 

Additionally. climate change poses great risk to urban residents, especially the most economically disadvantaged. Worldwide, youth have spearheaded mobilization for governments to take urgent action on the climate emergency. Young people have demonstrated that they play a key role in mobilizing systemic change to mobilize climate action.

 

Artificial Intelligence is a powerful tool to address climate change and environmental issues. AI is being used to manage renewable energy, make cities more liveable and sustainable, make agriculture more efficient, improve sustainability of transportation, and improve climate predictions, among others.(Source: https://bit.ly/36zWtSg)

 

The Youth Action on Sustainable Cities through Artificial Intelligence project will enable youth in secondary cities in the Global South to access tools to improve urban health by addressing climate issues through Artificial Intelligence.

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Impact

Youth Action on Sustainable Cities through Artificial Intelligence aims to build capacity and empowerment among youth in the Global South to utilize AI to address environmental and climate challenges in their communities, leading to more inclusive and liveable cities. As a result of this project, students will gain leadership and advocacy skills as well as technical expertise to utilize AI. Additionally, their climate action projects will result in greater sustainability in their urban communities. We will measure impact through surveying the participants as well as quantifying the impact of their community projects.