Using AI to Address Environmental Issues

Published Date : 04/09/2025 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how we address environmental issues, from climate change to pollution. This article explores the potential and challenges of AI in environmental conservation. 

By – Dr. N. Munal Meitei

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the science and engineering of creating computers that can process large amounts of data to think like humans. The goal for AI is to perform tasks such as reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, learning, natural language processing, perception, pattern recognition, decision-making, and support for robotics, similar to human capabilities.

AI has been advancing rapidly in recent years, with breakthroughs in algorithms and architectures. One of the many benefits of using AI is to help us view societal problems from a different perspective. Our global issues are complex, and AI provides us with a valuable tool to augment human efforts to come up with solutions for these vexing problems. AI is influencing a societal and economic shift towards various domains such as government, healthcare, environment, job market, education, entertainment, finance, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and defense.

AI has become a part of our daily lives, from automatic cars and self-serving restaurants to music covers. AI has taken the world by storm, with many intelligent, digitized voices for music fans to hear artists cover songs they’ve never sung for real, create non-existent complex and life-like images, and even help manage climate journeys. But what is the potential impact of AI on our future environment?

AI can make tremendous progress in solving climate change, one of our biggest issues. Climate change is a gargantuan problem, but several AI technologies might be able to tackle it by predicting the climate impacts on different regions. AI climate informatics algorithms, powered by 30 climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are indispensable in combatting and predicting climate change. By monitoring weather and adhering to climate obstacles, AI can monitor these situations 10,000 times faster than the human race alone could. People are fostering hope that AI could help the world tackle at least some aspects of the triple planetary crisis of climate, nature, and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.

AI can detect deforestation and forecast the impending impacts. Plastics are one of the most dreaded challenges of the planet, with staggering 85% of plastic ending up in landfills and oceans. However, AI might be able to fix these plastic problems by tracking facilities to recycle and sorting to separate different types of materials more efficiently. Natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, cloudbursts, and earthquakes are the worst enemies of the present world. AI has an important role in solving these complex environmental problems by predicting when and where these disasters are to occur next, giving ample time for preparedness.

It’s hard to listen to or watch any news without encountering artificial intelligence. The AI market is projected to reach $407 billion by 2027 with an annual growth rate of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030. AI can enable remote sensing and analysis of environmental data from satellites, drones, sensors, cameras, and other sources, providing insights into climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, pollution, natural disasters, and other environmental issues. AI can assist in developing renewable energy sources and contribute to wildlife conservation by tracking systems and protecting endangered species.

AI can provide diagnosis and treatment for various diseases and conditions, such as processing baby language, analyzing symptoms of dreaded diseases, and coining medical history and referrals to doctors. AI self-driving cars, for instance, may reduce emissions by 50% by 2050 by identifying the most efficient routes. Employing AI in agriculture in some fields has produced 30% larger harvests in India.

At the same time, the world is struggling to figure out if and how to regulate these powerful tools. More work and research are needed to strike a balance between using these tools and minimizing their environmental impact and side effects. With increased data usage also comes an increased carbon footprint. AI models require higher energy consumption, and AI systems are estimated to consume about 8% of the world’s electricity demand in 2030. According to an MIT study, AI cloud has a larger carbon footprint than the entire airline industry. AI applications depend on sophisticated hardware that requires rare earth metals and other scarce materials. These devices have a short lifespan and become obsolete quickly, creating a growing problem of e-waste that is difficult and costly to dispose of.

AI algorithms often involve complex computations that generate heat and noise. AI systems should be designed with environmental efficiency, such as green computing, eco-design, and life cycle assessment. Authorities should adopt a comprehensive approach to regulate AI development and deployment, taking into account the environmental implications, including legal frameworks. However, AI can challenge human dignity and rights by affecting the autonomy, identity, agency, and well-being of individuals and communities, which may manipulate or influence human behavior or decisions without their consent or awareness. Hence, AI systems should be designed with human-centeredness, inclusiveness, and empowerment, protecting the interests and values of humans and society to accommodate the diversity of cultures and contexts.

AI also poses significant challenges and risks to the environment and society by consuming natural resources like water, fossil fuel, rare elements, generating waste and emissions, disrupting ecosystems, displacing workers, creating ethical dilemmas, and threatening human dignity and rights. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and address the environmental and social impact of AI development and deployment, and to ensure that AI is aligned with human values and goals. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the primary goal of AI?

A: The primary goal of AI is to create computers that can process large amounts of data to think and perform tasks similar to humans, such as reasoning, learning, and decision-making.

Q: How can AI help combat climate change?

A: AI can help combat climate change by predicting climate impacts, monitoring weather patterns, and adhering to climate obstacles, which can be done 10,000 times faster than by humans alone.

Q: What are some environmental risks associated with AI?

A: AI can increase carbon footprints, generate e-waste, and consume natural resources, which can pose significant environmental risks.

Q: How is AI used in agriculture?

A: AI is used in agriculture to improve crop yields, optimize water usage, and monitor plant health, leading to more efficient and sustainable farming practices.

Q: What ethical considerations are there in AI development?

A: Ethical considerations in AI development include ensuring human dignity, protecting individual rights, and minimizing environmental impact, while also addressing potential biases and ensuring transparency. 

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