{"id":59425,"date":"2025-04-23T12:26:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T19:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/?p=59425"},"modified":"2025-06-16T16:31:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T23:31:52","slug":"ai-and-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/ai-and-the-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s The Deal With AI And The Environment?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>AI is booming. The global artificial intelligence market is advancing day by day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.precedenceresearch.com\/artificial-intelligence-market?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">with calculations expecting it to grow<\/a> from the billions of dollars it is worth now to trillions in the next year alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just about every major conglomerate has already invested in artificial intelligence: Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, and more. We\u2019re already seeing ways that the commercial and personal use of AI is shaping our culture \u2014 from how we think to what is considered art. But one of the major concerns people are raising about AI is its effects on the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-right is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;It\u2019s naturally concerning that something that\u2019s already become as integrated into our daily lives as AI will have an even bigger environmental impact as it grows.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite scientists ringing alarm bells for decades, the devastating effects of climate change are beginning to take hold \u2014&nbsp; so it\u2019s naturally concerning that something that\u2019s already become as integrated into our daily lives as AI will have an even bigger environmental impact as it grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/avrielepps.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Avriel Epps<\/a>, a computational social scientist and author of the forthcoming \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/rep.club\/products\/kids-book-ai-bias?srsltid=AfmBOoojcV9PFiMpfZF2usZK4Js9GNophUJqFsuTIzMxguAkUyl1JvGn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Kids Book About AI Bias<\/a>,\u201d puts it bluntly: \u201cArtificial intelligence is making it less likely that society will meet its climate goals to avoid ecological collapse,\u201d they said. <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9058818\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">With rising global temperatures and unprecedented levels of biodiversity loss<\/a>, it\u2019s understandable why many people are feeling like AI is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel\u2019s back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is because AI is incredibly resource-intensive and is stressing our power grids, requiring a similar amount of energy as a small Western country. It\u2019s also intensive in its usage of water, precious metals that have to be mined in ways that are environmentally degrading. At a time when we need to be figuring out how we will reduce our emissions and de-grow our economy, AI is a huge contributing factor in us not being able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-regular-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;AI is incredibly resource-intensive and is stressing our power grids, requiring a similar amount of energy as a small Western country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>\u2013 Dr. Avriel Epps, computational social scientist and author<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three main types of AI in use today: Narrow AI (built for specific tasks like ChatGPT, Google Translate, or Spotify recommendations), limited memory AI (which uses past data to predict future patterns, like predictive text), and machine learning (which analyzes data to make decisions, like in voice assistants). All of these require energy-hungry data centers to function. When Dr. Epps talks about AI\u2019s environmental cost, they\u2019re especially referring to large language models like GPT-4 (which powers ChatGPT) or Gemini (Google\u2019s proprietary model).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cse.umn.edu\/cs\/shashi-shekhar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Professor Shashi Shekhar<\/a>, the Institute Director of AI-CLIMATE at the University of Minnesota, says that the rising popularity of chatbots and large language models (LLMs) in recent years has attracted attention to AI, triggering a passionate debate on pros and cons \u2014 and the recent growth in energy demand has co-occurred with the rise in the number of data centers and popularity of AI. \u201cThis is not sustainable over decades without newer technologies such as resource efficiency and renewables,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, many experts like Dr. Epps and Dr. Shekhar agree that it\u2019s not entirely a doomsday scenario. If used correctly and ethically, artificial intelligence can actually be an effective tool in the fight against climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are some uses of AI in the climate change mitigation space that are useful \u2014 like researchers that are using AI to forecast climate change and natural disasters to try and help keep people safe, or run large-scale simulations of what switching to renewables could look like,\u201d says Dr. Epps. \u201cAI that can help society figure out how to best use our resources to avoid the worst of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;If used correctly and ethically, artificial intelligence can actually be an effective tool in the fight against climate change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>But even the most \u201cefficient\u201d AI model will never be carbon-neutral \u2014 just as you can\u2019t shop your way into sustainability, you can\u2019t use AI your way into it either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for individual usage, such as turning to ChatGPT for research or productivity \u2014 planning a plant-based meal, finding remote work options, or reducing unnecessary purchases \u2014 the climate cost is real, but nowhere near the worst offenders. Especially because, according to Dr. Shekhar, AI accounts for such a small share of global emissions when compared to sectors like transportation, energy, and agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe last thing I would want to say is that AI is definitely getting us farther away from where we need to be for our climate goals, but it\u2019s still a relatively small piece of the emissions pie. Things like cattle farming and meat-based diets, aviation, and cars are much bigger contributors to climate change still. Your individual usage of ChatGPT matters for the climate, but eating hamburgers does more harm to the planet,\u201d says Dr. Epps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;According to Dr. Shekhar, AI accounts for such a small share of global emissions when compared to sectors like transportation, energy, and agriculture.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Where AI\u2019s environmental toll becomes harder to ignore is at the industrial level. These commercial-scale uses \u2014 training large models, enterprise-level data mining, or content farms \u2014 demand <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mit.edu\/2025\/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enormous energy and computing power.<\/a> But as Shekhar points out, many companies are already exploring ways to reduce that impact. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen data centers move to cooler regions to lower cooling costs, adopt renewable energy, or shift workloads to areas with cleaner grids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent growth in data centers is not sustainable over decades without newer technologies such as resource efficiency and renewables. Also, geographic areas with water and energy constraints may have higher impacts. \u201cOne approach is to anticipate potential harms and proactively take steps. Some of this has been taking place in data centers for the last two decades due to economic reasons,\u201d says Dr. Shekhar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-right has-regular-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\u201cIf ChatGPT can be used to help you figure out how to transition to a plant-based diet or how to minimize your air or car travel for work, then we might consider it a net positive on an individual level.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite>\u2013 Dr. Epps<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, he says, more can be done. For example, users may compare the resource efficiency of alternative AI (e.g., chatbot) brands and choose ones with lower environmental impacts based on comparison data from neutral third parties (e.g., Consumer Reports). But beyond that, many are finding ways to use artificial intelligence to further research around best practices in environmental conservation. \u201cIf ChatGPT can be used to help you figure out how to transition to a plant-based diet or how to minimize your air or car travel for work, then we might consider it a net positive on an individual level,\u201d Dr. Epps points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AI is already being used to reduce emissions from agriculture to navigation. Dr. Shekhar cites eco-routing in apps like Google Maps as one small but meaningful example. \u201cBroadly, AI has the potential to improve resource efficiency across transportation, energy, industry, and agriculture,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artificial intelligence is a tool like any other, but it\u2019s a tool being shaped by powerful hands with profit-driven priorities. In the face of the climate crisis, neutrality isn\u2019t an option. The way AI is developed and scaled today reflects decisions that prioritize growth over sustainability. As we\u2019ve seen, it is possible to use AI for good \u2014 if companies and researchers are intentional about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sara Jin Li<\/strong><em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is an essayist, playwright, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. She is also the founder of Heretics Club, a literary salon for creative writers. You can find her on Instagram at @<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarajinli\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sarajinli<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our editor consults two experts on the downsides and potential upsides of AI for the environment to understand how we can use the technology for good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":59426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_enable_custom_container":false,"_custom_container_max_width":"","_is_legacy_styles_disabled":true,"_is_thumbnail_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,31,331],"tags":[6,17,364,3,91,28,277,81],"class_list":["post-59425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activism","category-culture","category-media","tag-activism","tag-culture","tag-media","tag-popular","tag-reviews","tag-sustainability","tag-sustainability-2-related-reading","tag-sustainability-featured"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s The Deal With AI And The Environment? 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