Advancing Environmental Justice With AI

By Justina Nixon-Saintil
Aug 23, 2023 1:30 PM ET
A person holding a cellphone open to an app with PH levels showing. Rows of seedlings behind them.
Image courtesy of Adriana Adie/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Originally published by Project Syndicate

Given its capacity to innovate climate solutions, the technology sector could provide the tools we need to understand, mitigate, and even reverse the damaging effects of global warming. In fact, addressing longstanding environmental injustices requires these companies to put the newest and most effective technologies into the hands of those on the front lines of the climate crisis.

Tools that harness the power of artificial intelligence, in particular, could offer unprecedented access to accurate information and prediction, enabling communities to learn from and adapt to climate challenges in real time. The IBM Sustainability Accelerator, which we launched in 2022, is at the forefront of this effort, supporting the development and scaling of projects such as the Deltares Aquality App, an AI-powered tool that helps farmers assess and improve water quality. As a result, farmers can grow crops more sustainably, prevent runoff pollution, and protect biodiversity.

Continue reading here