Over 87% of private sector leaders see AI help fight climate change

About 87 percent of private-sector leaders have expressed the belief that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a critical role in the fight against climate change.

In a report titled: ‘How AI can be a powerful tool in the fight against climate change,’ the leaders say climate change will have significant impacts on environmental, social, political, and economic systems around the world, so mitigation, along with adaptation and resilience, is therefore crucial.

The report from AI for the Planet Alliance, BCG, and BCG GAMMA, reveals a strong appetite for using AI to tackle climate change, but notes that organisations will face obstacles to achieving impact at scale.

“Efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 will be essential, as will efforts to prepare for the consequences of climate change and to minimise the resulting harm. Applying advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to climate challenges provides a vital way to make meaningful change at this critical moment, the report noted.

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Based on survey results from over 1,000 executives with decision-making authority on AI or climate-change initiatives, the report finds that roughly 40 percent of organizations can envision using AI for their own climate efforts.

However, even among these experts, there is widespread agreement that significant barriers to broad adoption remain in place. Over 78 percent of respondents cite insufficient AI expertise as an obstacle to using AI in their climate change efforts, 77 percent cite limited availability of AI solutions as a roadblock, and 67 percent point to a lack of confidence in AI-related data and analysis.

“AI’s unique capacity to gather, complete, and interpret large, complex data sets means it can help stakeholders take a more informed and data-driven approach to combat carbon emissions and addressing climate risks,” said Hamid Maher, managing director and partner at BCG and BCG GAMMA, and a co-author of the report.

“However, most existing AI-related climate solutions are scattered, tend to be difficult to access, and lack the resources to scale. These shortcomings need to change.”