Tech tools to aid young people fight climate change

Next-generation entrepreneurs must use innovation to understand environmental challenges and tackle them, say speakers on the second day of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum

Planet map and ISS model from NASA (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It’s time to fight anxiety with action, say youth speakers at a panel discussion on 24 October at the Youth Green Summit (YGI) in Riyadh.

The speakers discussed the latest innovations in groundbreaking climate technology, alongside the challenges and opportunities posed by social media.

Dr Hamad Hani Al-Draye, curator of the Riyadh Hub, spoke of the importance of allowing youth to drive change in governments and communities.

“Youth don’t need to be taught how to use technology,” he said. “They need to be empowered to change it.”

Tariq Al-Olaimy, co-founder and managing director of strategy consultancy 3BL Associates, called for young people to study “climate complexities” and learn how to ask better questions to find longer lasting solutions.

“Let nature be your teacher and your classroom,” he said.

Across the world, technological innovation is driving solutions to the climate crisis. At the forefront of this change sit many young entrepreneurs, scientists and changemakers.

Young people are working with technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and satellite mapping to pioneer new ways to respond to and mitigate extreme weather events.

Social media and digital platforms are also becoming hubs of conversation around the future of the planet. But for many young people, they can be sources of anxiety.

For Khizr Imran Tajammul, founder & CEO of Jan Paak Entreprises, that anxiety arises from a disconnection between climate challenges and solutions: requiring innovation and investment to bridge the gap.

Mr Tajammul also highlighted the power of personal technology, like apps, to help individuals assess how eco-friendly their own habits are: “Just as we can count our calories when we we eat, we should also be able to count our emissions,” he said.

Dr Al-Draye called for a paradigm shift when it comes to social media, suggesting that more action can be driven through tangible actions - and for young people to take advantage of this “green rush”.

For Mr Al-Olaimy, the best source of inspiration when designing better, greener technologies is the natural environment itself.

“Looking at nature as technology helps us to become more biologically literate,” he said. “Trees are self-fabricating, solar powered machines able to create sustainable materials and life.”

In a world where 75 per cent of young people are fearful of the future, he explained, “the antidote to anxiety is action”.