Climate Resilient Communities develops accessible climate solutions for Toronto's diverse communities. Our multilingual chatbot makes localized climate information available in over 200 languages, transforming how marginalized communities access and engage with critical climate knowledge.
The Challenge
In Toronto, 37% of residents lack basic climate change understanding, while 42% are unsure how to take climate action. This knowledge gap particularly affects marginalized communities, where language barriers and technical jargon create additional obstacles. Meanwhile, over 60% of young Canadians experience climate anxiety, highlighting the urgent need for accessible, actionable climate information.
Our Solution
Our innovative chatbot bridges the gap between academic climate knowledge and community needs by providing verified, locally relevant information with scientific citations. The platform reduces barriers to climate literacy while offering resources and creating pathways for marginalized voices in climate decision-making.
Open Source Commitment
As an open-source project supported by Cohere and EY Ripples, we believe climate resilience should be shared, not siloed. Our transparent, community-driven development process enables other cities to implement and adapt our solution while ensuring continuous improvement through collaborative feedback.
Impact
Our platform transforms climate knowledge accessibility by making complex information easy to understand, increasing community capacity for climate action, and enhancing both personal and collective resilience. Together, we're ensuring that every community has the tools and knowledge needed to face climate challenges with confidence.
Our Team
Luis Ticas is a seasoned analytics professor and consultant with a passion for generative AI, specializing in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems and multilingual chatbots. He holds a Master’s degree and a certification as a Generative AI Engineer from Databricks, with a track record of successful projects in climate resilience, data analytics, and AI-powered solutions.
Maryam Tavakoli is a Senior Data Scientist, ML/AI Engineer, with a PhD in Physics.
Helena Yu is a dedicated data and AI expert with over five years of experience leading cross-functional teams to create impactful AI/ML solutions across diverse industries, including technology, finance, insurance, retail, telecommunications, and the nonprofit sector. She excels at building strategic partnerships with academic institutions, technology companies, governments, and nonprofit organizations, bringing cutting-edge research into practical, real-world applications.
Get Involved
See details at https://crc.place/get-involved-mlcc/
Our Supporters
Climate Resilience Communities' multilingual climate chatbot is made possible through the generous support and collaboration of our valued partners.
Cohere
We extend our sincere gratitude to Cohere for their support of our multilingual climate chatbot initiative. Their commitment to accessible AI technology has been instrumental to our mission.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
We thank AWS for their support through their nonprofit program, helping us build MLCC for diverse communities across Toronto.
Microsoft Azure
Our appreciation goes to Microsoft Azure for their contribution to our nonprofit initiative, enabling us to serve diverse communities with essential climate information.
EY Ripples Program
We are grateful to the EY Ripples Program for their strategic guidance and commitment to social impact, which has helped us expand our reach to communities that need climate information most.
Our Partners: EY Ripples Program, Cohere, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure
Climate Resilience Communities is actively seeking additional partners committed to climate resilience, community empowerment, and technological innovation. If your organization shares our vision of making climate knowledge accessible to all, please contact us to explore collaboration opportunities.