Author: Bapon Fakhruddin
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Harnessing AI for Sustainable Resource Management and Environmental Stewardship
As we navigate the complex challenges of environmental stewardship and sustainable development, the rapid advancement of #AI presents us with a powerful tool to reshape our relationship with the natural world and define our understanding of a more sustainable future. At the heart of this transformative potential lies AI’s remarkable ability to process vast amounts…
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Advanced Recycling: Unlocking a Truly Circular Future for Plastics
Imagine a world where all the plastic we produce can be endlessly recycled. Where facilities exist to transform any type of plastic waste back into valuable raw materials, ready to be used again and again in a truly circular economy. This is the promise of advanced recycling technologies that are emerging around the globe. Over…
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Urban Subsidence as a Growing Global Climate and Development Risk
In recent years, we have seen alarming rates of subsidence in major cities around the world. From Jakarta to Mexico City, from Venice to Shanghai, the ground beneath millions of people is literally sinking. In China alone, a systematic assessment using spaceborne synthetic aperture radar interferometry has revealed that almost half of the urban land…
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Redefining Leadership for a Human-Centered Workplace
Truly appreciated spending on personal reflection while reading “The Human Moment: The Positive Power of Compassion in the Workplace” by Dr Amy Bradley! In a world where challenges are complex and the pace of change is rapid, the traditional view of leadership – prioritising hierarchical dominance, profits over people, and output over empathy – is…
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A Decade of Building Climate Resilience in Somalia Through Early Warning Systems
Reflecting on my engagement in Somalia over the past decade, it’s been a profoundly transformative journey. My involvement began with supporting the establishment of their hydrometeorological working group, which was a foundational step towards enhancing the nation’s capacity to understand and respond to climate variability. The subsequent development of a multi-hazard early warning centre marked…
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Chemodiversity in Freshwaters: A New Lens on Ecosystem Health and Water Quality
Research increasingly suggests that the health of lakes, rivers and other fresh waters is closely tied to the diversity of dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM consists of thousands of distinct carbon-based compounds from different plant and animal sources, which make up what scientists call “chemodiversity.” There are four key ways chemodiversity influences ecosystem functioning: Nutrient…
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Rising Temperatures, Rising Food Prices: Climate Change and Global Food Security
According to a recent Communications Earth & Environment study, higher temperatures have been linked to increased food prices in over 120 countries between 1996 and 2021. Specifically, the researchers found that above-average temperatures in a given month corresponded to 0.9-3.2% higher food prices in the following months. This is likely because heat stress reduces crop…
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The Brown Ocean Effect: How Warm, Wet Land Is Re-Energizing Cyclones
Cyclones typically lose power once they move over land. However, new research shows that if the storm passes over warm, soaked ground, the moisture and heat from the soil can re-energize the hurricane. This mimics the way that the warm ocean usually fuels the storms. As climate change increases extreme weather events, understanding this phenomenon…
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Designing Ethical Algorithms for an Inclusive Digital Future
We are living in an age where algorithms dictate much of our lives. From the news articles we read to the movies we watch, from the products we buy to the friends we make, invisible codes make decisions on our behalf. But as we embrace these advancements, we must pause and ponder the course they…
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Water Security as a Cornerstone of Climate Resilience and the 2030 Agenda
Water security is critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Access to clean water and sanitation is necessary for goals such as poverty reduction, food security, and climate resilience to become attainable. However, the global water crisis, intensified by climate change, threatens these efforts. Billions still need essential water and sanitation services, and…
Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD 