Artificial Intelligence is a trending field in computer science and it relates to developing intelligent machines, robots, and computer programs that can think and act like human beings. On the other hand, Earth’s climate change is one of the most complex problems that our generation is facing, according to scientists. Weather patterns are changing and this is threatening food production, shrinking ice sheets, declining the Arctic Sea ice, and causing sea levels to rise. This could result in catastrophic flooding if the situation is not controlled.
“It’s time to start thinking about doing AI in a more environmentally-friendly way”- Prof. Virginia Dignum Umea University, Sweden
Do you know, scientists have created an ‘Artificial Leaf’ that sucks carbon dioxide in and turns it into fuel?
Scientists have developed an ‘Artificial Leaf’ that converts carbon dioxide into fuel. The inspiration came from photosynthesis, the ability of trees to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose. The artificial leaf copies off this process using a red powder called ‘cuprous oxide’ and produces methanol and oxygen.
“The technology has achieved solar to fuel efficiency by 10 percent. This is already larger than the natural photosynthesis”- lead researcher Yimin Wu.
A group of experts has recently published a paper titled, ‘Tackling Climate Change With Learning’ that discusses how we can use AI to tackle one of the biggest threats in the history of mankind. David Rolnick, Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, brought together a team of researchers to tackle the issue.
“It’s surprising how many problems in machine learning can meaningfully contribute to,” says Rolnick. This paper discusses thirteen major fields include solar geoengineering, energy production, greener transportation, better monitoring of deforestation, more-energy efficient building, creating low-carbon materials, CO2 removal, and education for Artificial Intelligence deployment.
Although the researchers seem to be doing their part properly, there are many other organizations that are focusing on AI to tackle climate change. You can read about some of them below:
SilviaTerra - Uses AI to Monitor Forests
Silvia terra is a San Francisco based small team (10 members) of programmers, biometricians, and foresters that use artificial intelligence to expand our understanding of forest and strengthening our vital ecosystems. They are using machine learning to map forests, providing resources to help planners reduce the risk of fires.
Ag-Analytics Partners with AI for Sustainability
It is a New York-based agricultural-technology startup that collects farmland data in the cloud and makes it available to farmers to enable farm management and precision agriculture.
OceanMind
It is a non-profit organization from the UK that uses AI and satellite to preserve the biodiversity of the oceans.
“We support government authorities and seafood buyers by providing expertise and knowledge paired with advanced technologies to enable responsible sourcing and effective enforcement”- OceanMind.
“By Empowering Enforcement and Compliance, Ocean Mind Protects the World’s Fisheries” – OceanMind.
In the End
“AI is not a silver bullet,” – David Rolnick says. Solving any problem takes time. It took scientists 40 years to understand whether climate change is a real problem or not. AI is continuously evolving with time and experts are trying to solve environmental issues using machine learning. The only thing that we need to do is, play our part by being more considerate towards the environment.
Do you think we will be able to fight climate change this way?
What steps have you taken to fight this menace?
……Let us know in the comments below.