How MENA is harnessing data to accelerate climate action: The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy — a data-driven alliance of some 11.5k cities including 181 MENA cities — announced last week that signatory cities can apply to a newly-launched knowledge exchange program by 8 March. The program will provide 20 member cities with financial and organizational support — and facilitate an expert exchange — to help spur their climate action plans. The alliance shows how knowledge and data can be collected, organized and shared to both communicate the climate crisis and measure progress, allowing online platforms to aggregate data to direct climate activity.

Using data platforms to inform climate action: KSA’s Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority and the Environment, Water and Agriculture Ministry announced a partnership with Google Cloud and Climate Engine in September to launch an AI-based observation program to measure the effects of water on vegetation and agriculture, using Google Earth Engine’s data, satellite imagery and climate-focused insights. Google Earth and Climate Engine will create a platform showcasing existing water and agriculture studies, and Saudi scientists will use it to develop localized case studies using data and AI. The program will ultimately focus on environmental protection, pollution monitoring, sustainable agriculture, climate and nature protection, and water and food security.

In Egypt, the focus so far is on agriculture: Egypt has several apps at different stages of development that collect and organize data, targeting an increase in agricultural productivity or helping farmers receive better returns on their produce. This helps mitigate the fallout from climate change — including unpredictable weather and dwindling harvests. VAIS — a deep-tech app currently under development — will collect and use satellite imagery to alert smallholder farmers to everything from insect infestations to diseases, or the impact of inclement weather on plants.

UAE platform The Surpluss also aims to maximize resource use: The Surpluss — recently developed and launched in the UAE — aims to divert waste from landfills and help companies become more climate-aware by providing a space for manufacturers, service providers, and other businesses to share surplus materials, production waste, and knowledge.

Globally, analytics platforms can use data to tell a big-picture story: ClimateOS, an integrated platform designed to show cities the full impact of their emission reduction activities, is helping to connect emissions, climate activity and economics at a broad level, The Guardian reports. The platform helps decision-makers understand which activities are the biggest drivers of emissions and plot out the cost and impact of the different actions they could take to reduce them.

How exactly does it work? The platform displays a range of activities that fall under different “building blocks”: Transport, industry, agriculture, energy, and others. It uses data-crunching and analytics to quantify the impact of shifting to a lower-emission alternative, while continuing to fulfill the underlying purpose of each activity. This could include transport fleets running on low-emissions fuel, large-scale substitution of energy-efficient equipment in industrial or agricultural operations, or a higher proportion of commuters walking or cycling to work.

It shows how climate action makes financial sense: ClimateOS quantifies the costs and potential benefits of particular climate actions, so cities can demonstrate to private investors and public funding bodies where climate investment could have a long-term financial payoff, The Guardian notes. It allows governments and businesses to assess the trade-off, for example, between the capital cost of investing in sustainable heating or cooling systems versus the costs saved by the improved health of residents or the reduced maintenance of inefficient equipment.

The platform’s user base is rapidly growing — especially in Europe: ClimateOS is currently used by over 50 cities in eight countries, according to The Guardian. Over 40 of these are in Europe, ClimateView shows.

Could it have a role to play in MENA? The platform doesn’t yet have users in MENA, but its potential role in helping the region slash its soaring emissions is clear. Globally, cities account for over 70% of CO2 emissions, according to a 2022 World Bank report. And as of 2021, some 65% of MENA’s total population lived in urban areas — well up from the global average of 55%. While MENA’s overall greenhouse gas footprint is comparatively low, it’s growing rapidly, with emissions set to more than triple by 2060 under a “business as usual” scenario. The region is also home to some of the world’s highest per capita emitters: Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and KSA.

World Bank recommendations would suggest so: “The climate battle for the planet will be won or lost in cities,” the World Bank notes. In its MENA Climate Roadmap 2021-2025 (pdf), it notes the importance of climate-smart spatial planning and targeted investment as a way to achieve net-zero emissions.