Did you know that hole we [humankind] create up there in the ozone layer is now healing? Scientists have recorded the ozone layer has been shrinking all thanks to the future-oriented decisions made some 30 years ago to phase out harmful chemical [CFCs]. However, that we are getting further away from the threat of widespread human extinction from effects of climate change, could not be further from the truth.
If anything, we need more climate change conscious decisions and hacks than at any time before. In that spirit, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) has invited some of the best brains from across the East African region to a climate change focused hackathon in Nairobi, Hack4Climate2016.
The hackathon attendees mainly composed of young techies and software developers from across the region were invited to brainstorm on various tech solutions and innovations. Solutions that will help in the race to make the planet cooler before it becomes too unbearable. To the point, discussions like choosing to go live in Space or going back to the ocean floors becomes a topic to ponder on seriously.
The Hack4Climate2016 conference is looking to challenge the young brains into coming up with innovative solutions. The kind of solutions that will warn the public early enough in the event of a natural disaster linked to climate change. Additionally, they will be required to come up with solutions to creating public awareness on the existence and the adverse effects of climate change.
“We want you to help us in thinking through innovation that can help us tackle problems that are domiciled in our region and that can help our resilient agenda. From how we can upscale early warning mechanism to how we can get the communities faster,” said Mahboub Maalime, the IGAD Executive Secretary, during the opening ceremony.
The various solutions that sprout at the conference set to run through this week in Nairobi will be judged based on their sustainability, cost effectiveness, scalability, and ease of implementation. The attendee with the idea that satisfies all these categories most sufficiently receive $5,000 funding to put that idea into actions and benefit the immediate environment within the greater Horn of Africa.
It was also revealed that IGAD and partners with some organizations to set up a Climate and Innovation Hub. That will see ideas generated during the conference and afterward, be pursued through to maturation and make a long-term impact. The other partners include Kenya Airways, Safaricom, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).