Addressing global climate change: The solution lies in the numbers

James Abdey

The insights were shared by James Abdey, deputy academic director of International Programmes at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) at a specialised symposium in July

The event was jointly organised at the British University Vietnam campus in Hung Yen province and involved a high-level delegation from the University of London and LSE.

Abdey illustrated an application of data analysis in addressing major global issues, specifically global climate change, focusing on Vietnam.

“In a world driven by data, modern data analytics models will enhance our understanding of climate change,” Abdey said. “If oil initiated a revolution across the world in the 20th century, data would ignite a revolution in the 21^st century. And data is the new oil of the world."

As a highly applicable field with potential across numerous sectors, data is increasingly being chosen by many young people, but there is a modest number of universities offering training.

Data can assist in the climate change narrative in three main ways: educating the public, thereby fostering a better understanding of climate change issues; reducing misconceptions, identifying the causes of climate change problems; and providing possible future scenarios.

According to Abdey, addressing the issue of climate change necessitates an understanding of it.

"Therefore, data presentation and visualisation are crucial. Data only becomes valuable when it is rendered meaningful rather than appearing as disparate pieces of information," he said.

In Vietnam, weather forecasting agencies, meteorological centres, and numerous media outlets have begun to employ data visualisation tools to communicate and forecast, especially in the context of climate change, which has heightened the severity of natural disasters in the first half of 2024.

“A picture is worth a thousand words, and with appropriate visualisation models, viewers can see thousands of data points telling a story. This allows climate scientists to convey the urgency of the climate crisis to policymakers, businesses, and the public,” he emphasised.

Additionally, through climate data models, those interested in the issue can better understand the underlying causes of current problems.

“The distinction between correlation and causation is a crucial concept that helps viewers correctly interpret data. Accurate data visualisation helps to elucidate the nature of the issue and avoid misleading conclusions,” he said.

Through historical climate databases, scientists can predict future trends and assess impacts under various scenarios. This predictive power enables the formulation of effective climate policies and strategies.

"For instance, models can forecast how global temperature increases will affect sea levels, thereby assisting coastal cities in future adaptation efforts. From predicting energy demands to the extent of wildfire spread, data tools will help mitigate the impacts of climate change,” Abdey explained.

This highlights how data science provides significant practical value by transforming numbers into meaningful information, knowledge, and even actionable insights. To achieve this, Abdey added, people need to enhance their knowledge and delve deeper into the field of data analysis.

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