My story is somewhat strange and unusual. But I believe it’s worth sharing. I began with a hobby in meteorology and climate science. From a very young age. I was about three or four years old at that time. And I developed a love for this subject. It became an issue for those around me. My family didn’t know how to deal with this peculiar interest. Usually, people enjoy playing football. They engage in sports and have various hobbies. My hobby was very different. To the point where my mother gave up on me. And sent me to the government meteorological center. So that I could find more answers to my curious questions. Which I constantly asked. Of course, going to that center felt like going to an amusement park for me. When I was five or six years old. I was learning and never tired of asking any questions. However, in around 2006, when I was around 15 years old at that time, an incident occurred that had a profound and shocking impact on my life. Several people died in my country, Jordan, due to floods. It affected an area in the south of Jordan. For me, this event was truly shocking. Because at that time, I realized that hobbies and sharing information, and these things that I engage in daily, are capable of protecting people, protecting humanity. So, I decided at that moment to move forward with this subject. And I believed that the existing problem is that the way weather information is delivered, should be better. So, at the age of 15, I founded a website called “Arabia Weather.” This website started with very simple capabilities. And after a while, it became one of the most visited websites. Today, Arab Weather website receives tens of millions of visitors. But I also later realized that the problem is much bigger than that. It’s not just a problem of delivering information, but the problem lies in the accuracy and quality of weather data. So, I always tell all dreamers and ambitious individuals, and those who constantly strive to start projects, that the path will appear when you decide to start the journey. And I started my journey early. My work in the climate sector becomes more challenging day by day in the face of these climate changes we are witnessing. But today, I would like to ask you a question. If I asked you and said, “What comes to your mind when we say climate change?” What is the first thing that comes to your mind? I mean, if you close your eyes and think about climate change, what appears to you? Rising temperatures. Most people might say melting polar ice caps. Or rising sea levels in coastal cities. But perhaps it didn’t occur to many of you, for example, the word “cities.” Yes, cities. Cities are the ones causing these climate changes. They contain behaviors that encroach upon nature. Cities are the ones that expand at the expense of natural waterways. They expand at the expense of vegetation cover. They expand at the expense of many natural elements. Pollution happens in cities. Emissions happen in cities. And many, many behaviors that exceed the limits of nature. But it is the cities themselves that are exposed to the consequences of climate change. Today, cities are experiencing floods and flooding Heatwaves and cold waves. And people are not efficiently dealing with these new events. Unfortunately, we lose people and properties due to these behaviors and subsequent events. What is the solution? Considering that climate change has become a tangible reality today, not just a future matter, the solution lies in a new concept and term. Perhaps you haven’t heard of it before, it’s called climate adaptation. What does climate adaptation mean? Climate adaptation is the ability of institutions, individuals, companies, organizations, and cities to deal with extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change through early warning systems enabling them to make early decisions and early planning in order to protect lives and properties. To give you a clearer picture, if an earthquake of a certain magnitude occurs in Japan, would the destructive intensity of that earthquake be similar to an earthquake of the same magnitude that occurred in another region? In Japan, even strong earthquakes have lesser destructive impact. Why? Because Japan is earthquake-adaptive. At Arabia Weather, our mission is to make the world a safe place through climate adaptation. So, how do we achieve climate adaptation? Climate adaptation happens through establishing early warning systems, which require a crucial element known as accurate weather forecasting. Without accurate weather forecasting, efficient early warning systems do not exist. However, we have a real problem with accurate weather forecasting. Let me tell you today how weather forecasting is actually done. Weather forecasting occurs by capturing images of the Earth at standardized times throughout the day in a global protocol. This image consists of measurements, sensors, and other elements, such as radars, as well as drones and other measurements, which collect and measure atmospheric components. They are then assembled into what we call the initial image. We later take this image and input it into high-powered computers that simulate this image. They produce future images or a future image. These future images are weather forecasts. But what if this initial image has flaws? The future images will also have flaws. What if there are some errors? The future images will have errors. Here, we entered and decided to innovate something that might change what you see here are these red dot images They indicate the locations of weather monitoring. However, the vast majority of the Earth’s surface does not provide us with weather information. Here, we must improve the initial image. We have invented a method using artificial intelligence. We convert all social media posts, whether they are videos, photos, or texts, into weather data that can be utilized. For example, when a person takes a picture of a coffee cup in the morning while heading to work, and the sky is visible in this picture, we can then share this picture on social media and convert this picture into weather data. Gradually, we developed this technology. Now, if someone takes a picture of dust, we can detect whether there is dust, clouds, or rain. Afterward, we developed a platform called “You, The Observer” on Arabia Weather People started sharing these pictures there. Naturally, we take these pictures and process them using artificial intelligence We enhance and supplement the initial image of the Earth. When we did this, we made a significant stride in the course of humanity by enriching the initial image, and still, we are on this path. What I want to tell you is that this is one of the dozens of initiatives we can do in artificial intelligence to protect the Earth. After that, we developed early warning systems for each sector, such as agriculture, to maintain food security, for governments, to ensure security, for transportation, to ensure traffic safety, for industry, to maintain supply chain continuity. This has become our goal. And we implemented this in the Arab world and strive to apply it in all countries worldwide. What I want to mention is that combating climate change and finding ways to preserve the Earth and the environment is very important. It is not a trivial matter; it affects our industry, our food security. It is an existential issue. Before I conclude, I want to say that our heritage and our noble religion strongly encourage us to preserve the environment. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “If the Hour (Day of Judgment) is about to be established, and one of you was holding a palm shoot, let him take advantage of even one second before the Hour is established to plant it.” In other words, if the Hour is about to be established and one of you has a seedling, you must plant it. To that extent, we should urge ourselves to preserve the environment and protect our land, while also maintaining the Earth’s climate. I hope that my talk has been somewhat inspiring, useful, and motivating. And I want to say that today we strive to preserve human life because of the butterfly effect. A small idea 15 years ago has evolved and now plays a role in protecting the Earth. And we are on this mission, inspired that we will not stop. And we always say, “I will not cease until I achieve.” Thank you
