Could AI Help Fuel the Climate Crisis?

Artificial Intelligence, also called AI, is continuously growing in popularity. Proponents have identified many ways that AI could be used to fight climate change. These include modeling Climate change patterns, identifying trends that impact the environment, and making predictions that may help scientists better identify potential impacts. However, some scientists caution that the enormous amounts of energy that AI uses could have devastating environmental impacts. 

AI’s potential environmental impacts are hard to measure. Recent years have seen the environmental impacts of energy-intensive cryptocurrency practices such as Bitcoin mining exposed. AI models need to be trained to fulfill their functions. This can use up huge amounts of energy. Energy use is just one negative environmental impact of AI. 

Although it is rare for companies using AI to share information about how much energy is used, researchers have made guesses based on data available to them. The huge amounts of energy required can have severe environmental impacts, based on where that energy comes from. If fossil fuels are used for that energy, the environmental impacts can be catastrophic. 

Additionally, AI uses huge amounts of freshwater to prevent the data centers that house them from overheating. It is estimated that training ChatGPT’s language model, GPT-3, used up to 700,000 liters of freshwater. Since most of the water evaporates during the process of cooling the data center, it is impossible to reuse it. However, research produced by Google has shown that water-cooled data centers emit 10% less carbon emissions than those that are cooled with air.

Raw materials used to create AI computers are also bad for the environment. Many of the components need to be mined. This process is not only bad for the environment but also lends itself to human rights violations. 

Although there are several ways AI can be environmentally costly, it does have the potential to help with Climate change. Models can be used to help identify recyclables, contaminants, and even chemtrails. It can also be used to predict wildfires. This modeling can help industries make adjustments to mitigate Climate change. Unfortunately, a delicate balance needs to be struck between using AI models to help deal with Climate change, and mitigating the damage AI models can cause the environment. For now, the future of the industry remains uncertain. Ultimately, the way that AI is used will depend on what it is used for and the practices around it. 

Sign this petition to help fight climate change and support the transition to renewable energy!

Wake Up Climate Change Is Real by Tiny Rescue: Climate Collection

Related Content: 

• Vegan Mayo Made With the Help of Artificial Intelligence Is Coming to the U.S!
• This Food Tech Start-Up is Making Vegan Meat and Dairy with the Help of Artificial Intelligence
• Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to Decoding Animal Communication Through AI
• AI Cameras Shed Life on Australian Wildlife’s Bushfire Recovery
• Shining Light on the Sustainable Side of Bitcoin Mining

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!