AI innovation is key to solving warming.

Hubertus Meinecke, “AI Is Essential for Solving the Climate Crisis,” Boston Consulting Global, 07-01-2022, https://www.bcg.com/publications/2022/how-ai-can-help-climate-change

Mitigation is therefore critical, including efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, minimizing the harm will also require increasing our efforts at adaptation and resilience—from immediate crisis response to long-term planning. Further, these efforts will require support from activities such as research, finance, and education.

AI as a tool is uniquely positioned to help manage these complex issues. Due to its capacity to gather, complete, and interpret large, complex datasets on emissions, climate impact, and more, it can be used to support all stakeholders in taking a more informed and data-driven approach to combating carbon emissions and building a greener society. It can also be employed to reweight global climate efforts toward the most at-risk regions. (See “Addressing the Needs of the Global South.”)

As such, the use of AI offers an opportunity to make meaningful change in this critical moment, whether through mitigation, adaptation and resilience or by supporting the fundamentals of overall climate efforts.

With this opportunity in mind, BCG recently surveyed global public- and private-sector climate and AI leaders about their views on the potential of AI as a tool in the fight against climate change as well as the roadblocks that prevent its adoption. (See “Survey Methodology.”)

In response, 87% replied that advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, or simply “AI”, is a helpful tool in the fight against climate change today. In addition, 67% of those in the private sector stated that they want governments to do more to support the use of AI in fighting climate change. (See the slideshow.)

Further, 43% of organizations say that they have a vision for using AI in their own climate change efforts—confirming high interest in the potential of this tool. Note that the percentage differs among industries, ranging from over 50% for industrial goods companies to 30% for consumer companies. Geographically speaking, the US shows the highest interest among Global North countries, with 64% of respondents reporting the use of AI in their climate efforts, while an average 42% say that they have a vision for using it.

Note that we employ the term “AI” to refer to artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, defined as the use of sophisticated data analysis techniques such as machine learning algorithms and data engineering.

The AI Opportunity

Global public- and private-sector leaders surveyed see the greatest business value for AI in the reduction and measurement of emissions. However, there are many diverse ways in which global leaders can use AI to achieve their goals.

Mitigation. AI can be employed to help measure emissions at both the macro and micro levels, reduce emissions and greenhouse gas (GHG) effects, and remove existing emissions from the atmosphere. In BCG’s experience, for example, AI can be used to help reduce GHG emissions equal to 5% to 10% of an organization’s carbon footprint, or a total 2.6 to 5.3 gigatons of CO2e if scaled globally.

Adaptation and Resilience. AI can be applied to improve hazard forecasting for regionalized long-term events, such as sea-level rise, and for immediate, extreme events, such as hurricanes, among other possibilities. These applications include the management of vulnerability and exposure, such as by developing infrastructure that can minimize the impact of climate hazards.

Fundamentals. AI can also be used to bolster efforts across climate research and modeling; climate finance; and education, nudging, and behavior change, such as by powering personalized tools to estimate an individual’s carbon footprint or making recommendations for environmentally friendly purchases. (See the exhibit.)