Climate models have changed the way we view the world. While effective, these models are imperfect, and scientists are constantly looking at ways to improve their accuracy and predictability.

MIT professor Elfatih Eltahir has spent decades developing complex models to understand how climate change affects vulnerable regions like the Nile Basin and Singapore. In this episode of The Joy of Why, Eltahir tells co-host Steven Strogatz how growing up near the Nile in Sudan helped him realize that climate change doesn’t occur in isolation. To better understand climate-related impacts and to create more effective adaptation strategies, Eltahir says we need regional models that incorporate contextual data like disease spread and population growth. Eltahir also discusses his “Equation of the Future of Africa,” and he introduces the concept of “outdoor days,” which he hopes can improve public perception about climate change.