As climate impacts become ever more pressing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain are emerging as potential technological solutions. AI — with its diverse applications ranging from ecosystem conservation to advancing renewable energy research — shows the potential to drive positive changes, while Blockchain offers both added transparency and efficiency, especially in carbon monitoring and resource allocation. However, the integration of these technologies presents its own set of challenges, including governance concerns and issues of trust. While technology presents promising solutions, strategic implementation is key to realizing its full potential for a sustainable future.
CASE STUDY
How Google uses AI to drive climate action
AI has the potential to be one of the driving forces behind the fight against climate change. Initiatives like Google’s DeepMind harness this potential, working on innovative projects that could accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources. One critical aspect of AI's potential in climate action is its application in understanding weather, climate, and their effects. In collaboration with the UK Met Office, DeepMind has developed a precipitation nowcasting model which has significantly improved accuracy compared to previous methods — enhancing short-range to medium-range weather forecasting, an element crucial for optimizing renewable energy systems dependent on natural resources.1
DeepMind has also made strides in using AI to analyze the behavior of animal species across the Serengeti and supports machine learning projects that back conservation efforts in Africa. In Australia, their team is developing AI systems that can identify bird song — a useful tool for monitoring wildlife changes on a large scale. To fill gaps in climate-related data, they've partnered with the non-profit organization Climate Change AI. Their joint venture focuses on creating a comprehensive wishlist of datasets that, if made available, could propel AI solutions for climate change forward.
Other areas of DeepMind's work involves developing AI tools that can enhance the efficiency of current energy-intensive systems like industrial cooling and computing infrastructures. One instance of this optimization was in 2019, where their team collaborated with domain experts at a Google-owned wind farm to increase the value of wind energy. By devising a custom AI tool for better wind power output prediction and a model for supply commitment recommendation, they significantly boosted the wind farm’s value.1
Despite concerns around regulations, copyrights and biases,2 AI is demonstrating significant potential in driving positive environmental changes. Further examples of its application include:
- AI technology is being used for surveillance and protection of ecosystems, the creation of high-resolution generative AI art to raise biodiversity awareness, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. For instance, Conservation AI deploys AI-powered cameras globally, artist Sofia Crespo uses AI to generate art representing unknown species, and Verdant and Monarch Tractor utilize AI for precision spraying in agriculture.
- AI models are being used for powering renewable energy research. Inception program and Zenotech developed models that predict cloud cover over solar panels and simulate energy output from wind farms.
- Accelerating climate models and weather visualizations: For example, NVIDIA's FourCastNet is a physics-ML model that forecasts the precise path of catastrophic atmospheric rivers a week in advance.
- Managing environmental disasters with satellite data: AI is used to detect climate risks from satellite and drone feeds, aiding in disaster prevention and recovery.
- Robot-assisted recycling: EverestLabs' RecycleOS, an AI software and robotics solution, helps recycling facilities recover 25-40% more waste, thus reducing landfill.3
AI is also increasingly being used to drive climate literacy – with not-for-profit organizations such as Climate Policy Radar utilizing the technology to map climate policies and laws globally, in an effort to support “a deep understanding of what works, where, and for whom”. It does so by training AI algorithms to extract useful information from climate documents, pinpointing trends and highlighting action gaps.4
AI and other digital technologies can strengthen governance practices and policy coherence in climate change, by modeling and forecasting vulnerabilities across the world and tackling potential inequalities exacerbated by climate disasters. If implemented in a timely and well-designed manner, these can deliver economic and environmental benefits to countries, strengthening environmental sustainability and reducing climate vulnerability.5 Moreover, AI can be crucial for improving understanding and managing the climate crisis, namely with AI-augmented systems, which enable pattern recognition, directing intervention strategies and planning.6
CASE STUDY
Fostering nature connection through Extended Reality
Trees often receive most of the attention in climate change discussions, but fungi — the unsung heroes of nature — are what make trees possible. Fungi draw carbon underground, which helps limit the effects of climate change. At South by Southwest, Accenture Song premiered Forager in partnership with The Fungi Foundation — an immersive 4D experience converging humans and the fungi kingdom. Participants interact with the life cycle of a mushroom in a novel way, controlling the growth of an extensive underground network connecting every plant in the forest.
They witness a hyper-real portrayal of nature through close-ups of mushrooms, facilitated by the world's first time-lapse photogrammetry technology. The audience experiences elements such as wind and thunder, smells of mushrooms, and music sampled from fungi, as well as tasting mushrooms through olfactory design.
A foraging map familiarizes participants with The Fungi Foundation's mission to protect this kingdom which is essential to a stable climate. Forager has gained popularity as a sought-after XR experience, paving the way for in-game ecological photorealism. Recognizing how fungi have sustained life also enables us to understand their potential in securing our future.7
It is important to bear in mind the possible risks of AI, as there are limitations in digital connectivity, which disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, consequently increasing climate adaptation gaps across countries. AI can also impact employment, as it can be seen as replacements of important jobs within communities. Women will be disproportionately affected, as AI is a highly biased technology which can paradoxically increase socioeconomic inequalities.5,8 In order to address this, it is important to interpret AI-generated results and remove related bias, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis to ensure meaningful decision-making.6
Another aspect to consider is the integration of climate considerations into AI development and deployment policies, ensuring responsible production and use of AI technologies, to the extent that it does not become a high carbon emitter. Mandating emissions measurement can enable regulation through climate policies, allowing for targeted AI design and feasibility policies and ensuring transparency and accountability for emissions-intensive use cases.8
Another technology which holds potential for action on climate and sustainability is Blockchain, thanks to its decentralized, open, and global features. Blockchain could help democratize resource ownership, provide transparency to decarbonization mechanisms, and increase the efficiency of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Paired with digital tools like remote sensors, drone imagery, and artificial intelligence, blockchain technology can enable real-time monitoring and verification of emission reduction and carbon sequestration efforts.9
Blockchain technology can revolutionize climate finance, aiding in the rise of annual climate investments from $632 billion to the required $4.35 trillion by 2030 for a resilient, net-zero world. This technology offers solutions for trust issues in the rapidly expanding voluntary carbon market by providing transparent digital records and real-time carbon sequestration monitoring. However, realizing this potential will demand unprecedented global coordination, increased public awareness, and constructive regulatory support, underscoring the role of local, regional, and global policies in steering blockchain's impact on climate action.9
The progress of technology is fast-paced and ever-changing. Public awareness, transparency, and accountability are crucial in its use, and it will be critical to ensure widespread and democratic participation to avoid replicating existing social inequalities.6 With the right frameworks in place, new technologies hold promise to help us overcome time constraints and speed up the transition towards a more sustainable world.
The Rise of Active Citizens
In the past few decades, the world has witnessed a transformation in the way individuals view themselves in relation to the larger global community. Globalization, fueled by technological advancements and increased mobility, has birthed a new kind of identity: that of the global citizen.
Keep reading- Google. Using AI to fight climate change. Google DeepMind. Published July 21, 2023. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.deepmind.com/blog/using-ai-to-fight-climate-change
- Nordgren A. Artificial intelligence and climate change: ethical issues. J Inf Commun Ethics Soc. 2022;21(1):1-15. doi:10.1108/JICES-11-2021-0106
- Salian I. Earth Day and AI: 5 Ways Innovators Are Protecting the Planet. NVIDIA. Published April 21, 2023. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/04/21/earth-day-ai-accelerated-computing/
- Climate Policy Radar. Climate Policy Radar | AI for climate law and policy research. Climate Policy Radar. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.climatepolicyradar.org/
- Leal Filho W, Wall T, Rui Mucova SA, et al. Deploying artificial intelligence for climate change adaptation. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022;180:121662. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121662
- Cheong S, Sankaran K, Bastani H. Artificial intelligence for climate change adaptation. WIREs Data Min Knowl Discov. 2022;12(5). doi:10.1002/widm.1459
- Forager. The Fungi Foundation. Forager Earth. Accessed August 21, 2023. https://www.forager.earth/
- Kaack LH, Donti PL, Strubell E, Kamiya G, Creutzig F, Rolnick D. Aligning artificial intelligence with climate change mitigation. Nat Clim Change. 2022;12(6):518-527. doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01377-7
- World Economic Forum. Blockchain for Scaling Climate Action - White Paper.; 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Blockchain_for_Scaling_Climate_Action_2023.pdf
As climate impacts become ever more pressing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain are emerging as potential technological solutions. AI — with its diverse applications ranging from ecosystem conservation to advancing renewable energy research — shows the potential to drive positive changes, while Blockchain offers both added transparency and efficiency, especially in carbon monitoring and resource allocation. However, the integration of these technologies presents its own set of challenges, including governance concerns and issues of trust. While technology presents promising solutions, strategic implementation is key to realizing its full potential for a sustainable future.
CASE STUDY
How Google uses AI to drive climate action
AI has the potential to be one of the driving forces behind the fight against climate change. Initiatives like Google’s DeepMind harness this potential, working on innovative projects that could accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources. One critical aspect of AI's potential in climate action is its application in understanding weather, climate, and their effects. In collaboration with the UK Met Office, DeepMind has developed a precipitation nowcasting model which has significantly improved accuracy compared to previous methods — enhancing short-range to medium-range weather forecasting, an element crucial for optimizing renewable energy systems dependent on natural resources.1
DeepMind has also made strides in using AI to analyze the behavior of animal species across the Serengeti and supports machine learning projects that back conservation efforts in Africa. In Australia, their team is developing AI systems that can identify bird song — a useful tool for monitoring wildlife changes on a large scale. To fill gaps in climate-related data, they've partnered with the non-profit organization Climate Change AI. Their joint venture focuses on creating a comprehensive wishlist of datasets that, if made available, could propel AI solutions for climate change forward.
Other areas of DeepMind's work involves developing AI tools that can enhance the efficiency of current energy-intensive systems like industrial cooling and computing infrastructures. One instance of this optimization was in 2019, where their team collaborated with domain experts at a Google-owned wind farm to increase the value of wind energy. By devising a custom AI tool for better wind power output prediction and a model for supply commitment recommendation, they significantly boosted the wind farm’s value.1
Despite concerns around regulations, copyrights and biases,2 AI is demonstrating significant potential in driving positive environmental changes. Further examples of its application include:
- AI technology is being used for surveillance and protection of ecosystems, the creation of high-resolution generative AI art to raise biodiversity awareness, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. For instance, Conservation AI deploys AI-powered cameras globally, artist Sofia Crespo uses AI to generate art representing unknown species, and Verdant and Monarch Tractor utilize AI for precision spraying in agriculture.
- AI models are being used for powering renewable energy research. Inception program and Zenotech developed models that predict cloud cover over solar panels and simulate energy output from wind farms.
- Accelerating climate models and weather visualizations: For example, NVIDIA's FourCastNet is a physics-ML model that forecasts the precise path of catastrophic atmospheric rivers a week in advance.
- Managing environmental disasters with satellite data: AI is used to detect climate risks from satellite and drone feeds, aiding in disaster prevention and recovery.
- Robot-assisted recycling: EverestLabs' RecycleOS, an AI software and robotics solution, helps recycling facilities recover 25-40% more waste, thus reducing landfill.3
AI is also increasingly being used to drive climate literacy – with not-for-profit organizations such as Climate Policy Radar utilizing the technology to map climate policies and laws globally, in an effort to support “a deep understanding of what works, where, and for whom”. It does so by training AI algorithms to extract useful information from climate documents, pinpointing trends and highlighting action gaps.4
AI and other digital technologies can strengthen governance practices and policy coherence in climate change, by modeling and forecasting vulnerabilities across the world and tackling potential inequalities exacerbated by climate disasters. If implemented in a timely and well-designed manner, these can deliver economic and environmental benefits to countries, strengthening environmental sustainability and reducing climate vulnerability.5 Moreover, AI can be crucial for improving understanding and managing the climate crisis, namely with AI-augmented systems, which enable pattern recognition, directing intervention strategies and planning.6
CASE STUDY
Fostering nature connection through Extended Reality
Trees often receive most of the attention in climate change discussions, but fungi — the unsung heroes of nature — are what make trees possible. Fungi draw carbon underground, which helps limit the effects of climate change. At South by Southwest, Accenture Song premiered Forager in partnership with The Fungi Foundation — an immersive 4D experience converging humans and the fungi kingdom. Participants interact with the life cycle of a mushroom in a novel way, controlling the growth of an extensive underground network connecting every plant in the forest.
They witness a hyper-real portrayal of nature through close-ups of mushrooms, facilitated by the world's first time-lapse photogrammetry technology. The audience experiences elements such as wind and thunder, smells of mushrooms, and music sampled from fungi, as well as tasting mushrooms through olfactory design.
A foraging map familiarizes participants with The Fungi Foundation's mission to protect this kingdom which is essential to a stable climate. Forager has gained popularity as a sought-after XR experience, paving the way for in-game ecological photorealism. Recognizing how fungi have sustained life also enables us to understand their potential in securing our future.7
It is important to bear in mind the possible risks of AI, as there are limitations in digital connectivity, which disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, consequently increasing climate adaptation gaps across countries. AI can also impact employment, as it can be seen as replacements of important jobs within communities. Women will be disproportionately affected, as AI is a highly biased technology which can paradoxically increase socioeconomic inequalities.5,8 In order to address this, it is important to interpret AI-generated results and remove related bias, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis to ensure meaningful decision-making.6
Another aspect to consider is the integration of climate considerations into AI development and deployment policies, ensuring responsible production and use of AI technologies, to the extent that it does not become a high carbon emitter. Mandating emissions measurement can enable regulation through climate policies, allowing for targeted AI design and feasibility policies and ensuring transparency and accountability for emissions-intensive use cases.8
Another technology which holds potential for action on climate and sustainability is Blockchain, thanks to its decentralized, open, and global features. Blockchain could help democratize resource ownership, provide transparency to decarbonization mechanisms, and increase the efficiency of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Paired with digital tools like remote sensors, drone imagery, and artificial intelligence, blockchain technology can enable real-time monitoring and verification of emission reduction and carbon sequestration efforts.9
Blockchain technology can revolutionize climate finance, aiding in the rise of annual climate investments from $632 billion to the required $4.35 trillion by 2030 for a resilient, net-zero world. This technology offers solutions for trust issues in the rapidly expanding voluntary carbon market by providing transparent digital records and real-time carbon sequestration monitoring. However, realizing this potential will demand unprecedented global coordination, increased public awareness, and constructive regulatory support, underscoring the role of local, regional, and global policies in steering blockchain's impact on climate action.9
The progress of technology is fast-paced and ever-changing. Public awareness, transparency, and accountability are crucial in its use, and it will be critical to ensure widespread and democratic participation to avoid replicating existing social inequalities.6 With the right frameworks in place, new technologies hold promise to help us overcome time constraints and speed up the transition towards a more sustainable world.
The Rise of Active Citizens
In the past few decades, the world has witnessed a transformation in the way individuals view themselves in relation to the larger global community. Globalization, fueled by technological advancements and increased mobility, has birthed a new kind of identity: that of the global citizen.
Keep reading- Google. Using AI to fight climate change. Google DeepMind. Published July 21, 2023. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.deepmind.com/blog/using-ai-to-fight-climate-change
- Nordgren A. Artificial intelligence and climate change: ethical issues. J Inf Commun Ethics Soc. 2022;21(1):1-15. doi:10.1108/JICES-11-2021-0106
- Salian I. Earth Day and AI: 5 Ways Innovators Are Protecting the Planet. NVIDIA. Published April 21, 2023. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/04/21/earth-day-ai-accelerated-computing/
- Climate Policy Radar. Climate Policy Radar | AI for climate law and policy research. Climate Policy Radar. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.climatepolicyradar.org/
- Leal Filho W, Wall T, Rui Mucova SA, et al. Deploying artificial intelligence for climate change adaptation. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022;180:121662. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121662
- Cheong S, Sankaran K, Bastani H. Artificial intelligence for climate change adaptation. WIREs Data Min Knowl Discov. 2022;12(5). doi:10.1002/widm.1459
- Forager. The Fungi Foundation. Forager Earth. Accessed August 21, 2023. https://www.forager.earth/
- Kaack LH, Donti PL, Strubell E, Kamiya G, Creutzig F, Rolnick D. Aligning artificial intelligence with climate change mitigation. Nat Clim Change. 2022;12(6):518-527. doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01377-7
- World Economic Forum. Blockchain for Scaling Climate Action - White Paper.; 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Blockchain_for_Scaling_Climate_Action_2023.pdf
