In July 2022, Boston Consulting Group released a report on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to combat climate change. 87% of respondents said they believe advanced analytics and AI are tools that can help fight climate change. For private sector employees, 67% said they want the government to do more to support the use of AI in the fight against climate change.
From companies using satellite data to monitor deforestation to new climate change incubators, private and entrepreneurial markets are tackling climate change in different ways.
Satellite data and AI algorithms
Colin McCormick, chief innovation officer at CarbonDirect, said satellite data had been used for several years to monitor deforestation events (mainly through Global Forest Watch/GFW).
“An important recent advance is the new availability of satellite data, particularly from GEDI LIDAR instruments, which can be processed with advanced AI algorithms to go beyond basic deforestation warnings,” McCormick said in an email interview. ” he said.
“This approach allows us to quantify the actual amount of carbon that forests are absorbing from the air,” McCormick added. “This data has a very high spatial resolution (patches are on the order of 10 meters), so it makes it possible to monitor the actual carbon removal from the specific carbon removal forestry projects for which we have issued credits.”
McCormick says he’s seeing great applications of AI to proactively predict the likelihood of deforestation and illegal logging. This includes training an AI model to detect newly cleared forest roads from satellite images and leveraging data from ground-based acoustic monitors to detect the sounds of chainsaws and other logging equipment. Masu.
“Washington state is starting to use drones to predict fires in advance,” McCormick said. “They are also using ground surveillance systems to move resources closer to high-risk areas, much like the military moves troops to major battlefields.”
But unlike satellite data that shows deforestation after the fact, the Brazilian project known as the Curpila project detects destruction before it begins.
Researchers at the State University of Amazonas (UEA) have developed an AI box to combat deforestation in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil. The team installed AI boxes in trees to identify the sounds of machinery used for deforestation and issue real-time alerts over a long-range communication network.
Climate change technology incubators and funds
New York-based Montauk Climate is a new climate technology incubator focused on developing early-stage startups working on infrastructure technology, grid edge and electrification, clean energy, and other climate technology solutions.
The incubator has raised $8.5 million in funding.
The incubator says it is dedicated to building high-impact technology companies focused on a sustainable, electrified and digital future.
“The capital and incentives needed to transition our economy to a clean energy future are finally here, and Montauk Climate is positioned to create companies that address the urgent challenges of climate-related impacts.” said Evan Caron, co-founder and CIO. About the climate in a press statement. “We recognize that fundamental changes in energy and infrastructure systems require an entirely new approach to how we innovate in this category. , requires the cooperation of multiple stakeholders.”
Caron said incubators are organizations that build companies that support a sustainable future.
Worldfund, a Berlin-based venture capital firm specializing in climate change technology, raised €300 million in March 2024. Investors include EIF, KfW Capital, BPI France, PwC Germany, Wiltshire Pension Fund, UK Environment Agency Pension Fund and Croatia’s Erste Pravi. , and the first Ecosia.
The Global Fund was established in 2021 and invests in start-ups developing decarbonization technologies for the energy, construction, transportation, and agriculture industries.
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