What can artificial intelligence do to combat the global climate crisis?

Inflation is a global problem that is intensifying due to climate change. This is because the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events has led to higher prices for food, energy and other essential goods. But there is hope: AI can help us fight climate change by reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy. The green transition is therefore a key pillar in the fight against inflation, and AI is an important tool in this effort.

In fact, according to the 2022 BCG Climate AI Survey report (shown below), 87% of private and public sector CEOs with decision-making authority on AI and climate believe that AI is An important tool in the fight against climate change. Information from the same report also shows that public and private sector executives believe the business value of advanced climate-related analytics and artificial intelligence is most critical in the area of ​​mitigating (reducing) emissions, at 61%, compared with mitigating (measuring emissions). The most critical one is 57% (see the second graph below). Other areas considered critical are as follows: Adaptation (predicting hazards) 44%, Adaptation (managing vulnerability and risks) 42%, Mitigation (eliminating emissions) 37%, Essentials (promoting climate research, climate finance and education) 28% .

(Source: BCG Climate AI Survey, May 2022)

Support from leaders responsible for climate and AI in the public and private sectors Use artificial intelligence to fight climate change, but only 43% of them have a vision for how to use artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence can contribute to mitigating climate change in many ways, for example, by improving energy efficiency or by reducing emissions from transport, agriculture and industry. AI can also help us adapt to the effects of climate change, improve our ability to predict extreme weather events, and provide decision support tools to help us respond more effectively. Artificial intelligence can also play a key role in increasing our resilience to the impacts of climate change by helping us identify risk factors and develop plans to mitigate the effects of climate change.

(Source: BCG Climate AI Survey, May 2022)

Public and private sector leaders see business benefits in reducing and measuring emissions Maximum value.

Lambert Hogenhout, chief data analyst for partnerships and technology innovation at the Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT), said, “The most pressing need in this situation is not to have more powerful artificial intelligence, but to have more powerful artificial intelligence in our Get smarter about where and how you use AI. There are so many untapped opportunities.” This sentiment reflects the consensus among many experts in the field: We need to be more strategic in where and how we deploy AI to To achieve the purpose of maximum impact.

There is therefore a need for a new climate AI framework, which is crucial to focus discussions on investment and innovation in this area. James Hodson, CEO of the Artificial Intelligence Foundation, said, “To effectively address the fundamental drivers and risks of our overdependence on fossil fuels, we need to embrace a framework of diverse innovative solutions. Artificial intelligence is at the center of this framework, and artificial intelligence has already Contributing to faster progress on greater transparency, efficient generation and storage at scale, and renewed confidence in large-scale investment.” BCG developed the latest "Global Artificial Intelligence" report, which includes the views of experts on the "Global Artificial Intelligence" Advisory Committee. The framework includes three main themes: Mitigation, Adaptability and Resilience, and Essential Elements. Mitigation and essential elements are critical to our efforts to combat climate change, but adaptability and resilience are necessary to ensure that people and economies can withstand today's climate change impacts. True resilience requires us to see the world at a systems level and use artificial intelligence to help us identify risks, vulnerabilities and potential disruptions when it comes to climate change. We must also build the capabilities and capabilities to respond quickly to these threats and create resilient architectures.

Framework for leveraging AI to address climate change (BCG Project Experience, AI for Climate Change, Global AI Partnership).

Damien Gromier, founder and co-chair of the AI ​​for the Planet Alliance and co-author of the report, said, “Despite its promise, AI cannot be used to solve the climate crisis in isolation. "Solving the climate crisis depends on the willingness of policymakers to take action and make the necessary changes, and artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies can provide part of the support." Therefore, it must be pointed out that artificial intelligence is not a panacea for solving climate change, artificial intelligence is a tool that can To help us build a more resilient future.

Framework for Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Address Climate Change

Framework for Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Address Climate Change is changing the way we think about climate change. In the past, we tended to think of adaptation as something we did after the fact, in response to events that had already occurred. But as the frequency and severity of extreme weather events increase, it has become clear that we must take a proactive approach to adaptation. We need to predict the potential impacts of climate change and take steps to mitigate them before they occur. This is critical to ensuring the resilience of our communities and economies and protecting the most vulnerable among us. AI can give us the tools and data we need to make informed decisions and help accelerate mitigation, adaptation and resilience efforts.

(1) Mitigating climate change

The mitigation part of the framework for using artificial intelligence to address climate change is a combination that includes macro- and micro-level measurement, reduction (reduce greenhouse gas emission intensity, increase energy efficiency and greenhouse effect reduction) and scavenging (environmental scavenging and technological scavenging).

(2) Emission measurement

Macro-level measurement: Overall environmental emissions are an important component of models that predict future climate. AI can help these models by improving measures, such as scanning remote sensing data from satellites for further analysis.

Micro-level measurement: Producers can use micro-level emissions measurement to understand the carbon footprint of their products, track their progress towards ESG goals, or identify opportunities to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Consumers can use this information to make more informed choices about the products they purchase and actions they can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

(3) Reducing emissions and the greenhouse effect

Due to the global climate emergency, it is necessary to accelerate efforts to reduce current emissions and their greenhouse gas consequences. Big emission reduction measures must be taken immediately. This is important to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change. Emission reduction consists of the following three components:

• Reducing the emission intensity of greenhouse gases: AI solutions can be used to support the transition to new energy sources. Forecasts of solar supply can help us identify areas with the potential to increase solar use and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reduce emission-generating activities: AI can also optimize supply chains by improving demand forecasting (to combat overproduction) or efficient movement of goods (such as shortening delivery times and minimizing energy use), thereby reducing emission. It is possible to use data to generate models that predict demand or optimize transportation routes.
• Reduce the greenhouse effect: If policymakers turn to geoengineering solutions to curb the effects of climate change, artificial intelligence will be an important tool to accelerate chemical research and help us develop new materials and processes that reduce emission of greenhouse gases. In addition, incentives for behavioral change can reduce energy consumption and lower emissions.

(4) Removing greenhouse gases

Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is one way to mitigate climate change and can be achieved through natural processes, such as increased photosynthesis in trees, or Achieved through technological means, such as carbon capture and storage. There are two main types of removal:

• Environmental removal: Natural ecosystems such as forests, algae, and wetlands can play a central role in removing atmospheric carbon. Monitoring these ecosystems requires collecting and processing large amounts of data, and artificial intelligence is very effective in this context.
• Technical cleanup: Environmental cleanup can be supplemented by industrial processes, but industrial processes are still in their infancy and face problems of scale. Artificial intelligence will be a powerful ally in solving these problems as soon as possible.

Having solidified the mitigation part of the framework, we now need to focus on the adaptation aspect.

Adaptability and Resilience

(1) Prediction of Disasters

Predict long-term trends in localization: In order to predict the potential impacts of climate change, we need to be able to predict localization long-term trend. For example, what is the probability that a major drought will occur in a certain area within the next 10 years? What are the potential impacts of this drought on agriculture, water supplies and human health? Artificial intelligence can help us answer these questions by analyzing historical data and predicting future trends.

Establish an early warning system: In addition to predicting long-term trends, artificial intelligence can also help us establish an early warning system to issue timely alerts for upcoming events. For example, by analyzing data from weather stations, satellite imagery, and sensor networks, AI can help us identify conditions that contribute to extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. These early warning systems allow us to take action before these events occur and mitigate the impact of extreme weather events. For example, a World Economic Forum report on AI helping the world fight wildfires shows that AI can help prevent wildfires by developing better fire detection and fire spread algorithms using data sources such as satellite imagery, real-time weather data and social media posts. The occurrence of fire. An intelligent framework is needed that integrates all these systems and can build a dynamic wildfire risk map and interactively simulate fire spread.

(2) Vulnerability and risk management

Managing crises: Once an extreme weather event occurs, artificial intelligence can help us manage the crisis by providing decision support tools. For example, AI can be used to identify people who are likely to be affected by an incident and match them with the resources they need. Artificial intelligence can also monitor the situation in real time and provide information on the location of influential people, the status of infrastructure and the status of rescue efforts.

• Enhance infrastructure: Smart irrigation systems can help reduce the effects of drought by using weather data and plant sensors to optimize watering schedules. Artificial intelligence flood control systems can help prevent flooding from occurring by leveraging real-time data on rainfall, river levels and land elevation. Smart buildings can use sensor data to adjust heating, cooling and ventilation. Can help save energy and reduce emissions. According to the United Nations project summary, knowledge graphs can store large amounts of data and perform reasoning. They can help identify patterns, correlations and dependencies hidden in complex data sets, and can ultimately analyze information such as floods, droughts and other extreme weather events. . These can increase resilience in the face of climate change.
• Protect Population: Large-scale population migration is one of the potential impacts of climate change. Artificial intelligence can help us manage this problem by providing decision support tools for managing refugee camps, tracking migrants, and coordinating relief efforts. Artificial intelligence can also be used to monitor the situation in real time and provide information about the location of personnel, the condition of infrastructure and the status of rescue efforts.
• Protecting biodiversity: The use of machine learning species identification systems can help us track and protect endangered species. The use of artificial intelligence monitoring systems using satellite imagery and sensor data can help detect illegal logging, poaching and other activities that threaten biodiversity.

The Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change framework demonstrates ways to build truly resilient and robust systems that can withstand and recover from extreme weather events. The framework also creates a set of essential elements for climate research and modeling of economic and social transitions, climate finance (such as carbon price projections), education and behavioral change.

Hodson said, “Companies that put AI at the heart are more likely to make a positive contribution to climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation efforts than those that don’t. ”

In addition, according to Hamid Maher, managing director and partner at BCG and BCG GAMMA and co-author of the Global Artificial Intelligence Report, “AI has a unique ability to collect, complete and interpret large and complex data sets.” Meaning, AI can help stakeholders take a more informed and data-driven approach that can combat carbon emissions and address climate risks. However, most existing AI-related climate solutions are fragmented and difficult to access , and lack the resources to scale. These are things that need to change.” However, some innovative climate technology solutions already use AI and are making progress across all three themes of the adaptation and resilience framework .

Reina Otsuka, digital innovation expert for nature, climate and energy at the United Nations Development Program and a member of the Global Artificial Intelligence Steering Group, said, “Artificial intelligence, along with other emerging technologies, can play a huge role in helping us get back on track for the Sustainable Development Goals. Role. Artificial intelligence algorithms have huge potential. Artificial intelligence can help us move in a sustainable direction, including an emphasis on mitigating climate change and providing additional resilience and adaptability to other climate change-related impacts, especially for those who are already and those most vulnerable to the risks associated with climate change."

Additionally, Dr. Marielza Oliveria, Director of the Monitoring, Communications and Information Sector for Partnerships and Operations Programs at UNESCO and a member of the Global Steering Group on Artificial Intelligence, said, “It is impossible to solve the urgent and disruptive problems we face with old solutions. Climate crisis. We must add huge innovation to the mix. AI can help us find opportunities to change our current situation at a scale large enough to have a rapid impact. AI in a human-centered, responsible and ethical way Deployed, it will become a sustainability accelerator. I see the transformative power of AI for the planet every day, from companies minimizing carbon emissions across their entire value chains to helping governments predict weather patterns and Effectively respond to weather patterns affecting vulnerable coastal communities. That’s what we need: all the brain power!” A climate technology company that converts satellite data into environmental intelligence. The company's API-based environmental dataset leverages satellite data, artificial intelligence and the cloud to provide insights on a variety of topics related to the planet and its health. The Global Artificial Intelligence Report features the company as an example of a successful climate technology startup.

(1) One Concern

One Concern is headquartered in California, USA. One Concern uses artificial intelligence to estimate the damage caused by natural phenomena. The company takes a holistic approach to uncovering the sources of risk and building resilience, taking into account not just individual buildings but the networks on which they rely, such as transport connections and power grids, when uncovering the sources of climate risk hazards.

(2) Cloud to Street

New York-based Cloud to Street is a company that uses satellites and artificial intelligence to track floods in near real-time anywhere on the planet. The company runs a global flood database that provides insights into global flood risk. Cloud to Street is committed to helping reduce flood risks and save lives.

(3) Prospera

Prospera is a Tel Aviv-based company that develops machine vision technology designed to monitor and analyze plant development, health and stress. The company's technology captures multiple layers of crop field data, including climate and visual data, to quickly spot anomalies. Prospera technology comes in the form of mobile and web dashboards.

(4) EXCI

EXCI is located in Maroochydore, Australia. EXCI is a bush fire detection technology company. EXCI uses artificial intelligence models to fuse data from satellites and ground sensors to provide continuous systematic monitoring of wildfires, which can provide firefighters with the intelligence to effectively manage wildfires and extinguish them.

(5) Kuzi

Kuzi is a Kenyan company. Kuzi uses artificial intelligence to predict the breeding, occurrence and migration routes of desert locusts across the Horn of Africa and East African countries. The company's AI tools use satellite data, soil sensor data, ground-based weather observations and machine learning to make predictions.

The above solutions are just some illustrative examples of how artificial intelligence today can address adaptation and mitigate the effects of climate change. Hodson said, "The next frontier of artificial intelligence in climate will be decision support tools and behavioral incentives, which is about getting people, companies and governments to do the right thing because it is in their best interests."

Call to Action

The Global Artificial Intelligence Alliance is launching a call for solutions to provide visibility, network and commercial support for climate AI solutions globally and to enable these solutions to Provide support on the path to scale and maximize impact. Global Artificial Intelligence is an alliance created by Startup Inside. The alliance’s knowledge partners include the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and BCG GAMMA. The alliance’s partners also include the AI ​​for Good Foundation, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the United Nations Education , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT).

Global AI is a unique, multidisciplinary and diverse consortium whose mission is to: 1. Promote the advancement of advanced AI with the support of global experts from academia, start-ups, and the public and private sectors Analyze and innovate the application of artificial intelligence to climate challenges; 2. Provide a global platform to identify and prioritize key tools and use cases of artificial intelligence in solving the climate crisis; 3. Identify and support the most promising artificial intelligence, identify and Support the most promising solutions to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, particularly in the southern half, by providing visibility and recognition of solutions; 4. Through concrete and measurable actions such as establishing access to finance and on-the-ground practices people) to ensure economies of scale; 5. Facilitate the development of networks between project teams, investors and experts in the field (including start-ups, companies and the public sector).

In addition, the Global Artificial Intelligence Alliance is currently accelerating the search for startups around the world that use artificial intelligence to combat climate change in one or more of the following ways.

• Improving our understanding of the natural world and how it changes
• Developing new ways to monitor and measure environmental phenomena
• Help us make decisions about how we use and protect our natural resources Make better decisions
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change

Artificial intelligence is a key game-changing enabler, artificial intelligence Intelligence has the potential to accelerate humanity’s race against climate change. We have the opportunity to build a more resilient future for us all by harnessing artificial intelligence. As the impacts of climate change become more widespread and severe, we must continue to invest in and support climate technology companies that are using artificial intelligence to develop solutions.

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