Up to 12,000 casualties were reported from worldwide climate disasters in 2023, according to Save the Children, across roughly 240 climate events including floods, storms and wildfires. Amid a reported tenfold increase in worldwide climate incidents between 1960 and 2019, predictions estimate a rise of 1.5C in global temperatures within coming decades, leading to greater and more destructive incidences of hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, and heat waves.

In the face of such destructive events, GlobalWA members are working to not only deliver life-saving aid in the wake of climate disasters but take innovative steps to build preparedness for future events. Kezia Fernandes, the project Lead for Amazon’s Disaster Relief & New Initiatives, emphasized the effectiveness of data collection to identify potential hazard hotspots in a plenary conversation at the 2023 Goalmakers Conference hosted by Global Washington, while Sheena Agarwal, Vice President of Operations at Give2Asia, highlighted the importance of grounded community engagement when building climate resilience. The combined approaches of technology and localized engagement are best exemplified in the efforts of GlobalWA members to combat the most devastating impacts of climate change.

Digital Infrastructure and Software Resilience

Amazon’s work in disaster relief is broad in scope and impact, ranging from donations to leveraging global supply networks for effective deliveries of vital supplies. To maximize the efficiency of communication and relief deployment, Amazon works to improve networks, simplify logistics, and streamline access to relief services during times of crisis. Novel software solutions bolster preparedness and fortitude among communities. Amazon Web Services (AWS) enables communities burdened by natural disasters to regain access to cloud connectivity by sending volunteers into target regions and rebuilding vital network infrastructure – one of the many varied and scenario-specific solutions delivered by Amazon’s volunteer teams. The streamlined cloud services enable quick coordination, efficient data collection, and responsive deliveries of critical aid.

Microsoft also works to use AI in accurate predictions for incoming natural hazards, greatly increasing community preparedness in targeted regions. Working with SEEDS, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab developed Sunny Lives, an AI model that uses satellite imagery to determine which households are most likely to be most affected by a cyclone – greatly mitigating the time required to collect data about individual homes. In 2020, the insight collected from Sunny Lives predicted the communities most at risk from flooding induced by cyclones Nivar and Burevi, allowing SEEDS personnel to engage directly with thousands of people and distribute vital survival guidelines days before the storm. The same AI model was used in New Delhi, India to determine which regions within communities were most likely to be impacted by oncoming heat waves in 2022, helping civilians, local authorities and aid workers prepare in advance for resource distribution and preliminary warnings. Beyond Sunny Lives, other sectors of focus – such as hunger – also benefit from Microsoft’s work in AI: a data model built with machine learning algorithms was deployed to predict the onset of food shortages with 83% accuracy, based on surveys collected from communities in Malawi.

Strength in Community Engagement

Beyond digital innovation, other members encourage disaster preparedness through on-the-ground interventions, advocacy, and collaboration. Give2Asia brings a multi-tiered approach to disaster preparedness. Through consistent risk assessment practices, organizing community groups to educate people on preparedness, developing contingencies, and organizing grants, Give2Asia’s NGO Disaster Preparedness Program (NGDPP) ran in 8 countries from 2014-2021.  Using online forums, the program connects local community groups across Asian countries to discuss mitigation and risk reduction practices, strengthening resilience against environmental hazards.

Read the full article about long-term climate resilience by Aneesh Chatterjee at Global Washington.