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Climate adaptation: AI and geospatial tools for islands to map out their own future.

TechTalks

Published on

© Adam Juman
When
Schedule
From 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM
Where
Online
Register here

Hurricanes, cyclones, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, ocean acidification: from the Pacific to the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, small island developing states (SIDS) and overseas territories are among the most exposed to climate change. Adaptation is a priority for them, and AFD supports many island territories in this effort.

This vulnerability also shows that no territory can respond alone to the climate crisis. Responses depend on regional interdependencies and on stronger cooperation between France, Europe, and their island partners.

In this context, AI and geospatial data open up new possibilities: predictive modeling, sensor-based early warnings, granular mapping from satellite or drone imagery. Where a lack of data has long limited the accuracy of climate planning and risk management, these tools can help countries build more targeted national adaptation plans.

Yet their deployment faces structural barriers: costly equipment, limited connectivity, low digital literacy. It also raises deeper questions: Who collects, hosts, and decides how data is used? How is the created value shared? Who designs the tools? What place is left for local communities’ knowledge, and what role should regional cooperation play? With COP 31 putting the vulnerability of the Pacific islands back at the center of the debate, the conditions for making these tools work for island resilience are now a central issue.

How can AI and geospatial technology drive adaptation that is sustainable, scalable and locally owned, with tangible benefits for island populations?

This webinar will bring together field practitioners, project leaders, donors, and researchers to explore two key dimensions:

  • Scaling Up: What real benefits do these technologies bring to communities, and how can their use be sustained and expanded nationally and regionally, despite structural constraints?
  • Inclusive and Sovereign Technologies: How can island states and local communities take part in designing and taking ownership of these tools, to ensure equitable value sharing and respect for their traditional knowledge?

The session will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation in French.

Moderation:

  • Moderated by Claire ZANUSO, Head of the Emerging Tech Lab (AFD)

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Letetia Addison, Lecturer and Researcher at the University of the West Indies, and Project Lead on AI4SIDS (Grand Prize winner of the 2024 AI Innovation Grand Challenge organized by the UNFCCC at COP29)
  • Dr. Valrie Grant, Entrepreneur, Strategic Advisor for Geospatial at OECS, Chair at the UN-GGIM: Private Sector Network (United Nations’ committee of experts on Global Geospatial Information Management), and podcast host
  • Dr. Nick Simpson, Associate Professor at the Stellenbosch School for Climate Studies, Chief Research Officer at the African Climate and Development Initiative (University of Cape Town), IPCC Author