The problem of climate change challenges us all, for example, we know that the technology industry demands raw materials (such as lithium), which contributes to the overexploitation of resources”.
Juan Roberto Hernández, general coordinator of fAIr LAC Jalisco.
Latin America is the region with the greatest biodiversity in the world, with 30% of fresh water and 50% of tropical forests. However, unsustainable land use management and overexploitation of resources endanger this biodiversity. That is why it is essential to move to environmental conservation and restoration mechanisms to try to stop climate change, which represents a multisectoral challenge.
In this sense, artificial intelligence (AI) can play a key role. Organizations such as fAIr LAC Jalisco and the Tec de Monterrey AI Hub are promoting the ethical and responsible use of AI through dialogue spaces to discuss technological development and its application possibilities. “We know of the predictive power of AI models, which can be used to monitor or identify changes in environmental problems and provide evidence for decision-making,” said Juan Roberto Hernández, general coordinator of fAIr LAC Jalisco.
In February 2023, fAIr LAC Jalisco and the General Strategic Coordination of Territory Management of the State of Jalisco collaborated in the HidroHack event to develop AI solutions to help decontaminate and care for the Santiago River.
Among the objectives was the development of tools for the reduction of parameters and classification of the water quality index, as well as conceptual proposals to develop measurement prototypes in real time through the use of machine learning and sensors in the field.
The Hackathon sought to join efforts by applying the triple helix model, where academic institutions, government and civil society came together to find effective and sustainable solutions to improve water quality.
“To combat climate change, companies must commit to the Sustainable Development Goals and think about how they can participate in building solutions that serve as tools to deal with climate change. It is critical to consider the use of ethical and responsible technologies, understanding the environmental cost of AI development, deployment, and maintenance,” the spokesperson added.
The biggest challenge in this aspect is the social, environmental and cultural sensitivity necessary to face climate change, as well as the inclusion of teams that represent the complexity of the challenge. In addition, there is a large digital divide in the region and, therefore, a shortage of adequate and sufficient data for training AI models.
Finally, regarding the trends to combat climate change, the use of IoT and AI is expected for real-time monitoring, the measurement of positive and negative environmental impacts, and the protection of ecosystems of all kinds. There is also talk of digital tokens as tools to create more operational efficiency, trust, decentralized processes, and greater collaboration to combat climate change.
For more information, visit: https://fairlac.iadb.org/
