Bob Dylan once wrote “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind -blows”. RS Metrics wasn’t around back then. Likewise, Satchel Paige, noted baseball pitcher, said “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” The corollary to that is: if you don’t look forward, something might whack you between the eyes.
That is where RS Metrics comes in on a global scale. In the span of three blogs, all focused on a different global region, I will be sharing my observations and thoughts on current climate struggles around the world and how we can be addressing them better. The third piece looks at Europe and how the countries there are working hard towards creating a more sustainable future.
According to recent data, countries in Europe that have significantly experienced flood problems in the last five years include: Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Italy. That is why, a lot of the local attention has been turned towards better dealing with natural disasters and ensuring cities are ready to address them when they happen. A recent Al Jazeera piece focused on Europe’s experience with environmental threats mentioned that in addition to the number of people affected by climate change risks, the region could also experience damages of about 1$ trillion dollar from climate issues like coastal flooding.
And elsewhere?
While in more economically stable countries there might be enough resources to spend on research and development of stronger policies, other world regions do not have the same support. In Africa, countries such as Kenya, Libya, and other regions have seen devastating flooding with significant casualties, often linked to heavy rainfall and dam collapses.
For example, according to a piece by IMFBlog, in Africa, countries which are more fragile or suffering from local conflicts might experience even more severely the negative effects of climate change. This represents a problem of unfairness where countries that might not be as polluting are suffering more than others because they do not have the means to combat the issue.
In Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam are highly vulnerable to river floods due to low elevations, frequent cyclones, and monsoon rains.
How about AI?
One of the ways in which these problems can be alleviated is AI. AI tools combined with high-quality and verified data from metrics suppliers like RS Metrics can provide countries with a way to measure more easily data related to environmental threats. This can help them ensure that when an environmental threat is near they can be better prepared to withstand it and then restore back their processes to normal in an efficient manner.
And How About Human non-artificial intelligence?
There are available warning lights on the dashboard about climate risks. One of them is the insurance industry, for example. This human sector includes those who are paid to assess climate risk. We have such early warning systems in many parts of the world where companies are paid to assess climate risks.
No matter how any of us like it, we all share a unique planet, possibly the only one we know, given our own rudimentary galactic research, which includes intelligent life (though there are those who might disagree). There may be no other species on Earth which is so insensitive to fouling its own nests, and, ironically, the only species that can ignore its technology’s own warnings.
Regardless, the RS Metrics’ mission is to provide the data that assists the dominant species in solving the existential climate problems which are tugging at our collective sleeve with increasing persistence.
Douglas (Doug) Friedenberg has specialized in global trade finance for many years through his company, Jigsaw Capital. Through client relationships on all continents, he is aware of the issues which data from RS Metrics helps to resolve: the need for global data which can enlighten climate awareness and augment response capabilities. Such data may help to leave a safer world for future generations. He hopes to assist in neutralizing this line from Macbeth: life “is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
