As the impacts of climate change crash down around us – megafires, record floods, brutal heatwaves – it’s easy to despair. But amid the climate chaos, a new and potent ally has emerged: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI, simply put, refers to computer systems that can mimic human intelligence – learning from vast amounts of data, spotting patterns humans miss, and making lightning-fast decisions. No longer science fiction, AI is now helping us understand, predict, and even fight back against climate change in myriad ways. And while it’s no silver bullet, its role is growing more important with every passing year.
AI from space
In Australia, where bushfire seasons have become a terrifying, almost annual trauma, scientists at the University of South Australia have developed AI that can detect smoke from space. Normally, satellite images are slowly beamed down to Earth for analysis – losing precious hours. Now, with AI packed inside tiny satellites, smoke can be spotted almost instantly, allowing firefighters to act before small fires explode into deadly infernos. Seconds count in a fire. This breakthrough could mean the difference between a small grassfire and another Black Summer.
Elsewhere, AI-powered drones are rewriting the story of reforestation. In countries including Australia, Mexico, and Brazil, drones equipped with smart seed-dispersal systems are mapping landscapes, identifying ideal spots for native species, and firing thousands of seed pods into the ground daily – even in rugged, dangerous areas unreachable by human planters. Not only does this supercharge carbon sequestration, it helps preserve biodiversity by rebuilding shattered ecosystems. It’s not a replacement for traditional reforestation – it’s a critical, high-speed ally in a planet-wide rescue mission.
AI is also starting to transform city life. Google’s Project Green Light helps cities optimise traffic lights, cutting stop-start driving and slashing emissions from idling cars at intersections by up to 10 per cent. Less congestion, less pollution – a rare win-win. Meanwhile, in Chile, national energy authorities are using AI to simulate clean energy grids, modelling in minutes what used to take months.
Contrails – loss for conspiracy theorists
And up in the skies, AI is tackling the overlooked problem of aircraft contrails – the wispy streaks behind planes that trap heat and are responsible for about one-third of aviation’s contribution to climate warming. A partnership between Google, American Airlines, and Breakthrough Energy used AI to predict when and where contrails would form. Pilots on 70 test flights tweaked their routes based on AI forecasts, cutting contrail formation by 54 per cent. A big win for climate action, and a big loss for conspiracy theorists.
But AI’s reach goes even further. It’s being used to predict deadly heatwaves, speed up the integration of renewables into national grids, and automate robots to monitor reservoir health in South-East Queensland.
AI is also helping us adapt to climate change by making massive, complex scientific knowledge more accessible – through initiatives like ChatClimate, which links AI systems to the latest IPCC reports. These tools are critical for cutting through misinformation and helping people, governments, and businesses make better decisions.
Of course, there’s a catch. Training large AI models is an energy-hungry process. Some estimates suggest that training a single AI model can pump out as much carbon dioxide as five cars do over their entire lifetimes. Whether AI becomes part of the solution or part of the problem will depend on the choices we make – urgently and deliberately.
Fortunately, solutions exist. Running AI models on renewable energy, streamlining algorithms to use less computational grunt, and processing data directly on satellites or devices rather than in massive data centres are strategies already being deployed.
The bottom line is clear: in the fight against climate change, time is short, the risks are vast, and the need for action is overwhelming. Having AI in our arsenal could make a real difference – if we use it wisely. AI offers speed, precision, and the ability to detect patterns too complex for the human mind. But it can’t summon political will, or moral courage. That part is still – and always will be – up to us.
♦ Dr Willow Hallgren is an earth-system scientist who studies the impact of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity and the climate.
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