Press Release: “A new report, developed by the Centre for AI & Climate and Climate Change AI for the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), calls for governments to recognise the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the transition to net zero, and to put in place the support needed to advance AI-for-climate solutions. The report is being presented at COP26 today.
The report, Climate Change and AI: Recommendations for Government, highlights 48 specific recommendations for how governments can both support the application of AI to climate challenges and address the climate-related risks that AI poses.
The report was commissioned by the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), a partnership between 18 countries and the EU that brings together experts from across countries and sectors to help shape the development of AI.
AI is already being used to support climate action in a wide range of use cases, several of which the report highlights. These include:
- National Grid ESO, which has used AI to double the accuracy of its forecasts of UK electricity demand. Radically improving forecasts of electricity demand and renewable energy generation will be critical in enabling greater proportions of renewable energy on electricity grids.
- The UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), which has developed the FloodAI system that delivers high-frequency flood reports. FloodAI’s reports, which use a combination of satellite data and machine learning, have improved the response to climate-related disasters in Asia and Africa.
- Climate TRACE, a global coalition of organizations, which has radically improved the transparency and accuracy of emissions monitoring by leveraging AI algorithms and data from more than 300 satellites and 11,000 sensors.
The authors also detail critical bottlenecks that are impeding faster adoption. To address these, the report calls for governments to:
- Improve data ecosystems in sectors critical to climate transition, including the development of digital twins in e.g. the energy sector.
- Increase support for research, innovation, and deployment through targeted funding, infrastructure, and improved market designs.
- Make climate change a central consideration in AI strategies to shape the responsible development of AI as a whole.
- Support greater international collaboration and capacity building to facilitate the development and governance of AI-for-climate solutions….(More)”.