• The use of artificial intelligence (AI) can contribute to the fight against climate change.
• Existing AI systems include tools that predict weather, track icebergs and identify pollution.
• AI can also be used to improve agriculture and reduce its environmental impact, the World Economic Forum says.

The power of artificial intelligence (AI) to process huge amounts of data and help humans make decisions is transforming industries. As one of the world’s toughest challenges, combating climate change is another area where AI has transformational potential.

Almost 4 billion people already live in areas highly vulnerable to climate change, according to the World Health Organization. And this is expected to lead to around 250,000 extra deaths a year between 2030 and 2050, from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone.

1. Icebergs are melting – AI knows where and how fast

AI has been trained to measure changes in icebergs 10,000 times faster than a human could do it.

2. Mapping deforestation with AI

AI, satellite images and ecology expertise are also being used to map the impact of deforestation on the climate crisis.

3. AI is helping communities facing climate risks in Africa

In Africa, AI is being used in a United Nations project to help communities vulnerable to climate change in Burundi, Chad and Sudan.

4. Using AI to recycle more waste

Another AI system is helping to tackle climate change by making waste management more efficient.

5. AI is cleaning up the ocean

In the Netherlands, an environmental organization called The Ocean Cleanup is using AI and other technologies to help clear plastic pollution from the ocean.

6. AI helps predict climate disasters

In São Paulo, Brazil, a company called Sipremo is using AI to predict where and when climate disasters will occur, and what type of climate disasters they will be.

7. A wish list of AI climate tools

Google DeepMind, Google’s AI research laboratory, says it is applying AI to help fight climate change in a number of areas.

8. How AI can help industry decarbonize

AI is being used to help companies in the metal and mining, oil, and gas industries to decarbonize their operations.

9. Reforesting hills in Brazil using drones

AI-powered computers are pairing up with drones in Brazil to reforest the hills around the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro, Reuters reports. The computers define the targets and number of seeds to be dropped.

source: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/02/ai-combat-climate-change/