Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus about 50 million years. A planet that old with active living organisms as inhabitants is expected to feel the impact of the activities of its occupants. One of the ways this impact reflects is called Climate change. Climate change is a deviation from the predicted weather condition

According to the World Bank (2018) on Climate Change and Health, Climate change can drastically impact human health. It could see more than 100 million people return to extreme poverty by 2030 unless concerted action is taken.

The above statistics show that Climate Change is a serious concern and one of the most prevalent issues in the world today. There are various causes of Climate Change. However, these causes can be grouped into two: Human causes and Natural causes. Human causes pertain to the consequences of human activities like cutting down trees or forests, environmental pollution, air pollution, etc. In contrast, Natural causes pertain to changes in the earth as a result of its long-termed existence, e.g., the sun’s intensity, the circulation of the ocean and the atmosphere, volcanic activity etc.

Here are some things that we can do to curb the effects of climate change.

1. Sensitization: According to a new study published in Nature climate change, which uses the results of a Gallup World Poll that was carried out across 119 countries, climate the awareness rate of climate change in developing countries is low. However, even in these countries with inferior awareness, there are deep concerns about it. Seeing this, it is easy to conclude that the first step in curbing the effects of Climate Change is sensitization and creating awareness
2. Energy Conservation: Energy conservation is a significant and effective way to combat climate change. Energy conservation is the effort made to reduce energy consumption by using less of an energy service. The best way to practice energy conservation is by using energy more efficiently. That is finding more minor energy-consuming ways to do things, such as taking a walk instead of driving, using solar energy, exploring clean energy options etc.
3. Organic living: Organic living is a lifestyle that encourages making healthy choices that positively influence your health and the environment, like, planting trees, growing a garden, eating healthy, organic meals, disposing of refuse properly, etc. Organic living is essential because it reduces the effect human activities have on the planet.
4. Recycling: Recycling is basically reusing stuff and converting waste materials into new materials and objects in order to reduce environmental pollution.
5. Investing in technology research/projects: Already, technology plays a crucial role in this Climate Change watch or control, especially in monitoring the ecosystem through a Carbon-management process that we can break down into emission measuring and reporting, abatement, and offsetting.

Regarding investing in technology research/projects, at Tech4Dev, we understand that technology is a means to many ends, and this understanding strengthens our resolve to equip young people with digital skills. In the first mini–Demo Day of the recently concluded Fellowship training, a group called Outliers under the Data Science and AI learning track worked on an analysis titled Climate Change and Crop Production in developing countries. In this analysis, they used Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa as case studies. As at the time of this presentation, they had just received training for a few months

Another group Royalsters in the recently concluded Women Techsters Bootcamp Cohort 2, under the Product Management learning track, worked on a project that focused on domestically making use of solar energy as a climate change control action. This project focused on reducing excess greenhouse gases in the environment that leads to global warming and climate change, replacing fossils fuel, and creating easy access to clean renewable energy. They achieved this feat after just two weeks of training.

We are convinced that if we keep at it, we will raise minds that would bring about sustainable solutions to the effects of Climate change. The Third Cohort of the Women Techsters Bootcamp commences today, and we already look forward to the solutions they will be creating in a few weeks from today.