The Use of AI in Combating Climate Change

 

The Role of AI in Tackling Climate Change highlights how artificial intelligence can be applied to areas including climate modeling and forecasting, energy efficiency, food production, biodiversity protection, and carbon capture and climate mitigation. As someone who is fascinated with AI, I find all the opportunities that emerging technologies revolved around them and how they can better humanity to be intriguing.

Everyday there are debates on whether or not AI is worth energy consumption for everyday use. From the carbon footprint involved in mining for manufacturing to the water and energy used in running and cooling the systems, using AI is often harmful to the environment. However, it is often overlooked at the potential upside these models have.

Through machine learning techniques, AI allows for more accurate predictions of climate trends. With climate temperatures increasing year after year, causing more devastating weather events such as floods, hurricanes, droughts and wildfires; AI acts as an early warning system for different natural disasters. Allowing for better preparation and saving lives. AI is being used to hopefully slow down the acceleration of climate change by finding the most efficient and stable materials in storing CO2 captured from emissions. As good as this sounds I wonder if it is too late or not. As increasing global temperatures require reaction and funding from governments whose main focus appears to be on things like the economy, war and ever-growing di

vision.  If this continues to be, it may be advantageous for humanity to adjust in certain ways.

One thing that is certain is that natural disasters are on the rise. AI is already helping with early predictions and warning for these disasters. However, what happens when the disaster strikes key agricultural areas? With droughts it requires more and more water just to grow crops. Hurricanes, tornadoes and floods can wipe out entire fields. Indoor vertical farming and AI may be one safe measure against mother nature.

Indoor vertical farming has been around for a few decades; however, it has not been able to turn profits. It isn’t the around-the-clock energy that has made the business unprofitable. Instead, it is the blue-collar workers, capital expenditure and maintenance that drives the unstable business model. In total these big three make up over 80 percent of the total cost of producing food. In this case it costs 6x more to produce a head of lettuce through indoor vertical agriculture than is through traditional agriculture methods.

Perhaps AI can be used to create a sustainable business model in vertical farming. With the help of AI, the number of blue-collar workers could be reduced. AI models could be developed to predict maintenance needed on equipment and with new technologies the price of capital expenditure may also be reduced. It isn’t too far-fetched to say that with AI, indoor vertical agricultural may be sustainable. Creating a world where produce is grown locally, in farms that are a fraction of the size of traditional agricultural farms and more efficient.

References

https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/the-role-of-ai-in-tackling-climate-change-harnessing-technology-for-a-sustainable-future

Vertical farming costs (2023 setup and operating costs)

(21) The EPIC Failure of Vertical Farms - What Happened? - YouTube