[Field Sketch] Building Climate Leadership with AI and Data – The Final Journey of SGI YOUTH+ 4th Cohort
2025-09-26
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Building Climate Leadership with AI and Data – The Final Journey of SGI YOUTH+ 4th Cohort
■ Climate Data Analysis, the First Step Toward Climate Leadership
SGI YOUTH+ is a youth program sponsored by SGI Seoul Guarantee and co-hosted by the Climate Change Center, now in its fourth year. After gaining a data-driven perspective on the climate crisis through the opening lecture, participants continued their research by exploring topics of their own interest.
The advanced data analysis mentoring program was led by Professor Sungmin Kim (AI Ground / Department of Business Administration, Sejong Cyber University). He explained the meaning of data analysis by comparing it to cooking: “If data is the ingredient, the researcher is the chef who carefully prepares and combines it to create a dish.”
The first mentoring session began with the fundamental question, “What is AI, and how can it be utilized?” Participants learned about the emergence of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning, and compared traditional learning methods with AI’s approaches, broadening their perspective on how to integrate AI into research and analysis.
■ Youth Perspectives: Analyzing the Climate Crisis with Data and No-Code AI
The mentoring program introduced no-code AI tools, enabling even non-majors to take part in data analysis. Participants selected diverse topics based on their majors and personal interests, ranging from renewable energy to climate disasters and agriculture, and then collected and analyzed relevant data.
Using public datasets, they established hypotheses and applied methods such as correlation analysis and feature importance analysis to examine the relationships between variables. They also reflected on the challenge of “how to frame and advance research topics within the limits of available public data,” gaining a deeper sense of the realities of climate research.
Professor Kim emphasized, “The essence of public data analysis lies in how creatively one can define and develop topics within the constraints of the dataset,” underscoring the importance of building such capacity. Through this process, participants moved beyond basic data collection, developing data-driven thinking and the ability to creatively define problems.
■ SGI YOUTH+ 4th Cohort: Concluding the Journey of Exploring Climate Issues with AI and Data
The three-month program concluded with a closing ceremony at SGI Seoul Guarantee headquarters. Participants presented the results of their final projects, sharing how they analyzed various climate-related issues through AI and data.
In his congratulatory remarks, Sangkyu Lee, Executive Director of SGI Seoul Guarantee, stated, “The efforts of these young people to interpret climate issues through data and AI, and to connect their insights to everyday action, signal a new turning point in climate response. SGI Seoul Guarantee will continue to firmly support future generations in leading the search for climate solutions.”
Ji-won Choi, Secretary General of the Climate Change Center, also remarked, “This program reaffirmed that climate leadership in our era is not merely about intuition or awareness but about the ability to combine data interpretation with creative action. The achievements of SGI YOUTH+ 4th Cohort will hopefully grow into seeds of change that extend beyond individual growth to society as a whole.”
Students, too, shared their reflections on the journey. Yumin Lee from Korea University (Sejong Campus) said, “By selecting a topic on the climate crisis and collecting and analyzing data, I was able to move a step closer to the two keywords ‘climate crisis’ and ‘data.’ It was also deeply meaningful to gain insights from lectures and practitioners, and I aspire to continue working toward becoming someone who can make a tangible impact in addressing climate change.”
Following the award of completion certificates, an outstanding project was selected through live audience voting, and participants celebrated one another’s achievements as the journey came to a close.
A New Beginning Beyond the Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony was not merely an endpoint but also a new beginning. Through the experience of interpreting climate issues with AI and data, young participants cultivated the mindset and skills essential for data-driven climate action. The journey of SGI YOUTH+ 4th Cohort has ended, but their challenges and aspirations will continue.
