AI is dominating the conversation at Climate Week
Artificial intelligence is dominating discussions at New York Climate Week, with experts debating its potential to either accelerate solutions for the climate crisis or worsen it through high energy consumption and shifting investment priorities. This urgent conversation comes as global climate goals, particularly the 1.5 °C warming target, are increasingly slipping out of reach.
Why it matters
The integration of AI into climate strategies is a critical and contentious issue with profound implications for global efforts to combat climate change, influencing policy, investment, and technological development in a crucial period.
The debate is louder than usual as climate voices gather.
This week, world leaders descended on Manhattan for the UN General Assembly. It’s also New York Climate Week—investors, policymakers, advocates, and journalists are colliding at panels, talks, and fancy dinners.
With so many climate voices in one place, the discourse can feel a little louder than usual. This year, the unavoidable topic is artificial intelligence.
There’s been a growing tension bubbling up about AI’s impacts on climate and climate tech. Depending on where you stand, you might point to AI’s potential for advancing research, or to the way funding and attention from Big Tech is trickling into energy startups. Or you might focus on the emissions-heavy natural-gas buildout that’s unfolding to meet the sector’s electricity demand.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in