Throughout history, technology has been a testament to human resilience and creativity t

Digitalisation and decarbonisation are two megatrends informing the world we live in. Much has been discussed about AI's impact on society, the economy, and jobs. As environmental applications for AI expand, how might AI influence the urgent need to reduce emissions (by at least 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels) across various sectors, including energy, water, and agriculture and what is the role or weather forecasting in this process?

To learn more about how leveraging AI and quantum computing can pave the way for a decarbonised future, join me and a line up of global thought leaders in the IBM Z Day

AI has a lot to prove, and in the following sections, I explore how it might influence key sectors in advancing decarbonization efforts.

Energy Sector

The energy sector is a primary focus for decarbonization efforts, as it is one of the largest sources of global carbon emissions. AI can play a transformative role in fostering a cleaner energy landscape. For instance, when thinking about smart grids and renewable energy management, AI can optimize the balance between energy supply and demand in real time. It can also predict energy consumption patterns and adjust for the availability of renewables sources like solar and wind, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and maximising the use of clean energy sources.

However, we must also consider the energy consumption associated with AI itself. For instance, Google's 2024 Environmental Report highlighted a 13% increase in its GHG emissions due to the energy demands of AI and data centres. This raises the important question of whether AI and data centres can be transformed in regenerative systems in the future. Balancing the environmental benefits that artificial intelligence can provide in the energy sector with its overall energy footprint presents critical design challenge facing our generation.

Water, Food, Energy Nexus

Agriculture accounts for appoximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, making it the largest consumer of water. Water is essential for irrigation, livestock, and crop production. However many industrial agricultural practices, such as over-irrigation and pesticide runoff, not only waste water but also damage ecosystems.

We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to guarantee that communities experiencing increasingly harmful impacts of climate change possess the tools and resources necessary to build resilience. A key design challenge is how to make advanced technologies, such as AI-driven systems, accessible to both subsistence farmers and bioregional agricultural communities, who are often on the front lines of climate change impacts. Equally important is leveraging AI to promote sustainable practices in industrial agriculture, helping to optimize water use and ensure the long-term health of ecosystems.

In Kenya, the SunCulture smart solar irrigation system is integrating AI, sensors, and solar power to deliver water to crops more efficiently. This system helps farmers irrigate crops based on real-time data about soil moisture and weather conditions, reducing water waste and increasing crop yields in water-scarce regions. Such innovations prove critical in arid and desert-prone areas, where water is a precious resource.

Food waste is also a critical area where tech and climate efforts can align, as it accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 9.3 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter. Reducing food waste lowers emissions by cutting resource use in production, supply chains, and landfill disposal, while also preventing methane release.

“Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.”

— Buckminster Fuller - Inventor and Author

Weather Forecasting Revolution

Water, food, and energy systems are interconnected, forming a critical nexus that supports global resilience. As demand for these resources grows, accurate weather forecasting becomes increasingly important.

AI is revolutionizing weather forecasting by improving the accuracy and speed of predictions. Traditional forecasting models rely on processing vast amounts of data from satellites, radars, and weather stations, which can take time and often miss fine details. AI, with its ability to analyse enormous datasets quickly and recognise patterns, enhances the precision of weather forecasts up to 45.000 times faster. By processing real-time data from multiple sources and making rapid adjustments, AI can predict weather events like storms, heatwaves, and rainfall with greater reliability and over shorter time frames.

Companies like IBM, through its IBM Z and watsonx platform, are bringing these AI potentials to life in a safe, powerful, secure, reliable and ethical way. They are leveraging AI to significantly reduce forecasting errors and deliver more localised, actionable weather insights. This revolution is not only bringing more precision to daily weather predictions but also enhancing climate modelling, disaster preparedness, and agricultural planning.

How could quantum computers address the volatility of climate change, curb carbon emissions and enhance human resilience? picture©mayeast

Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is a cutting-edge technology that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to process complex calculations much faster than classical computers. It has the potential to tackle climate change by enhancing the accuracy of climate models, leading to better predictions of extreme weather and environmental shifts. By simulating physical systems, quantum computers can optimize materials and reduce resource consumption. They can also analyse massive datasets to find the most efficient ways to reduce emissions, such as improving renewable energy integration and carbon capture. Additionally, quantum computing could help design more resilient infrastructure and disaster response systems, enabling communities to better prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

“Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.”

— Niels Bohr

**Principles of Quantum Mechanics Influencing Quantum Computers – Superposition**
*Imagine* you have to decide between two job offers. In the quantum world, a particle does not need to choose, It can be in both jobs at the same time, The particle only ‘decides’ when it is observed, like you would only know the outcome after making your choice.
**Entanglement** *Picture* two close friends who live apart but whenever one feels something such as thrill or rage – the other one immediately feels it too and they realise they felt the same thing at the same time when they talk to each-other later. In quantum physics, two particles can be so deeply connected that even if they are light years apart, a change in one instantly affects the other.
**Decoherence** *Think about*
when you are multitasking – but then you focus on just one task, leaving the other behind. In the quantum world, particles start out with multiple possibilities, but when they interact with their environment (like you focusing), they settle into one clear, measurable state.
**Interference**
*Imagine* dropping two pebbles in a pond, and the waves they make mix together. Sometimes the waves get bigger and sometimes they cancel each other out. Quantum particles can behave like those waves – they combine in ways that make some events more likely to happen and others less likely.

We couldn’t build quantum computers unless the universe were quantum. t

AI and quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize our approach to climate change by optimizing energy distribution, ensuring water security, and enhancing regenerative agriculture. These technologies can significantly reduce carbon emissions and increase human resilience to environmental challenges. By harnessing these innovations, we may one day fulfill Teilhard de Chardin's vision: “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love.”

For listening to these discussions and to learn more about how leveraging AI and quantum computing can pave the way for a decarbonised future, you can visit IBM Z Day 2024 for a limited period.

My guests in this conversation included:

Oliver Dial, Chief Technology Officer at IBM Quantum

Dr Simon Driscoll, Climate & AI Research Scientist at University of Reading

Peter Johnson, Futurist and Founder at Ayadee Foundation