AI Solutions for Sustainability

AI applications have rapidly become a part of our lives. AI’s potential in terms of sustainability is very promising in terms of offering innovative solutions to the environmental issues our planet faces today. From energy consumption to water management, from conservation of natural resources to reduction strategies for waste, it started to play a critical role in paving the way for a sustainable future.

So, what can be the benefits of AI for economic growth and the targeted reduction of global emissions for the year 2030? In this article, we talk about what AI promises for a sustainable future.

AI and Sustainability

Analysis capacity of AI puts it in the center of the fight against climate change. Thanks to AI, we understand our impact on the environment, and we are able to make more conscious decisions. Today, AI is used to prevent waste in businesses and corporations, and to determine which products generate more carbon emissions. AI technologies help in optimizing resources such as energy, water, and materials. In addition, AI is also used in areas such as green building design, precision agriculture, air pollution and climate predictions.

AI has the potential of facilitating creation of smart cities and circular economies which provide for the efficient utilization of resources. In addition, AI will help with the development of low-carbon energy systems which include high rates of renewable energy and energy efficiency which are required for fighting against climate change and improving ecologic health.

Moreover, AI can create 38.2 million new jobs across the global economy by offering more qualified occupations. According to a study conducted by PwC UK, global economy can receive a contribution of $5.2 trillion by 2030 by using AI applications for environmental management in four sectors, namely agriculture, water, energy and transportation. In addition, AI applications can reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 4% in 2030; and this equals to the total of 2030 annual emissions of Australia, Canada, and Japan.

How Can AI Be Used to Prevent Climate Crisis?

AI can be used in various sectors in order to contribute to the management of climate change. So, what are the areas in which we can benefit from AI? AI is promising in many areas such as clean energy networks supported by AI, precision agriculture, sustainable supply chains, environmental monitoring and implementations, advanced weather and disaster forecasting and disaster management.

It can be said that AI will play a significant role in climate change adaptation studies. Climate change affects all economic, social, and environmental systems across the globe. For example, European cities are increasingly faced with hotter, drier, and rainier climates. It is predicted that extreme weather events such as floods, storms and heat waves and natural disasters can lead to the death of 85,000 and 145,000 people across Europe. Accordingly, it is apparent that AI technologies will play a critical role in facilitating the mitigation of climate change impacts in the European continent and the adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

Dark Side of AI Technologies

However, there is a dilemma at this point: AI systems tend to consume a lot of power. Research conducted recently revealed that AI industry can use power corresponding to the size of the Netherlands by 2027.

This situation comes forth as an issue that can cast a cloud on the environmental advantages of AI. It indicates a serious environmental cost that threatens the positive impacts of AI on sustainability. Therefore, this points to a requirement of developing and implementing AI technologies in a harmonious way with the sustainability goals and developing strategies to reduce energy consumption. In this sense, innovations that will increase energy efficiency and investments towards greener energy resources are critical for the sustainable growth of AI industry.

Emergency Management and AI

AI technologies can also be used for better natural disaster management with the purpose of supporting prevention of disasters and preparedness. TEMA Project, i.e., "Reliable and Precision Mapping and Forecasting for Emergency Management" project, is one of the many projects backed by Europe which use AI to mitigate and fight against the impacts of climate change.

AI has a great potential to assess, forecast and mitigate the impacts of climate change. You can find below how to include AI utilization in global sustainability and the initiatives of using AI as part of TEMA Project.

• Transforming raw data to information that can be acted upon;
• Optimizing complex systems;
• Improving forecasts;
• Accelerating scientific modeling and discoveries.

AI in the Green Agenda

When the significance of AI in sustainability is considered, we should look at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs include 17 goals and 169 targets defined in the year 2015. AI can be a facilitator for all targets defined in SDGs which target the year 2030.

AI is a candidate for playing a major role in organizing supply of food, health care and energy services for the population, enabling the efficient usage of resources, creating smart cities, and adopting circular economy.

AI can help us prepare social improvement models by determining the sources of inequalities and forecasting human behaviors. Moreover, AI can analyze databases in order to protect the environment and can process high amounts of satellite images in order to support low-carbon energy systems by preventing desertification and integrating energy-efficiency. AI-based technologies can be used to develop many working models to benefit SDG 13 related to climate action, SDG 14 related to underwater world and SDG 15 related to the life on land.

AI in the European Green Deal

The European Green Deal was prepared to increase justice and welfare for all continent and to promote a competitive and sustainable economy. AI has the potential of contributing to European strategies in this sense. How?

1- Scientific knowledge can enable efficient and timely monitoring of big data through AI in order to overcome environmental challenges.

2- AI can create programs that promotes responsible work behaviors by harmonizing financing decisions with sustainable development. It can benefit in terms of resource utilization, increasing energy efficiency, automation, data integration, etc.

3- AI can increase awareness in terms of production processes by informing end consumers. Thus, it can direct the consumers to a more sustainable consumption behavior.

4- AI can consolidate the implementation and governing of EU environmental law.

The Future of Workday and AI

The biggest challenge for the corporations and businesses across the world will be adapting to environmental sustainability in the coming years. The following points are listed as the biggest challenges for the leaders towards reaching sustainability goals:

1- Having difficulty in managing manual data,
2- Imprecise investment revenue and economic benefits,
3- Lack of insight from the data and regulation obstacles.

Sustainability and profitability can be obtained together in the near future. AI technologies can be used to create a balanced sustainability/profitability road map. Farsighted corporations and CEOs are benefiting from AI to advance sustainability in their businesses and to provide more transparency for their sustainability commitments.

According to a survey conducted by IBM, CEOs definitely believe in the benefits of productive AI applications in their organizations. However, there seems to be a missing link when it comes to working teams. 69% of CEOs who answered the survey say that they benefit from AI on a wide scale while only 29% of the executive teams say that they have in-house expertise to adopt AI. In sum, there is still a long way to go to include AI into our current workflows.

AI and Sustainable Tourism

AI also comes forth as a powerful tool that would be groundbreaking in the tourism sector by enabling advanced guest experiences which are harmonious with efficient resource utilization, conscious decision-making, and sustainability principles. AI can optimize resource utilization in various areas in the tourism sector, from transportation to accommodation. Demand forecasting supported by AI helps hotels and airlines to adapt their capacities and inventories according to the real demand and overbooking and waste are reduced in this manner. Similarly, route optimization based on AI facilitates transportation planning and can help reduce fuel consumption and emissions. In addition, it is also effective in optimizing energy consumption at the tourism facilities by adjusting lighting, heating, and cooling systems according to occupancy and weather conditions. These measures can help by contributing to reduction of collective energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The ability of AI in terms of analyzing big data coming from various sources, including booking patterns, guest feedback and environmental monitoring systems, provides valuable information for the stakeholders in tourism sector. Analyses supported by AI can help tourism businesses in taking corrective measures in a proactive manner in order to increase resource efficiency and mitigate environmental impacts thanks to the data they provide in terms of excessive resource utilization or waste generation.

AI can also play a significant role for tourists to make sustainable choices during their travels. Chat bots and virtual assistants supported by AI can provide real-time information about local sustainability initiatives, environment-friendly accommodation, and sustainable transportation options. In addition, these can personalize trip suggestions according to individual preferences and environmental factors in order to promote prioritizing sustainable activities and touristic places.

AI already has a significant place in tourism sector by mitigating environmental impacts and making sustainable applications possible which improve guest experiences. AI can make tourism sector a leader in sustainability by optimizing resource utilization, providing insights based on data and promoting sustainable options among tourists.

The Significance of AI for a Sustainable Future

AI has become a groundbreaking power in the area of sustainability. It plays a critical role in overcoming the environmental challenges faced by our planet today by offering important improvements in many areas, from energy efficiency to waste management, from smart agriculture to sustainable city planning. AI technologies offer us a way to develop greener and more sustainable solutions by analyzing big data. These are important steps that would enable us to protect natural resources as well as to leave a more habitable world for the next generations. Therefore, AI is not only a technological achievement, but it is also an indispensable partner for reaching a sustainable future!