Leveraging AI and IoT for environmental sustainability can help maximize our current efforts for environmental protection. According to a 2018 report by Intel, 74% of 200 business decision-makers in environmental sustainability agreed that AI would help solve environmental problems.
Millions of electronic devices are discarded without proper disposal. Billions of dollars are wasted every year for proper disposal or recycling of used parts of discarded devices. To mitigate the issue of improper disposal of redundant electronic devices, companies like Apple use recycled materials or materials which have a low harmful impact on the environment. The amalgamation of hardware and software can prove beneficial for environmental protection. Major companies can use AI and IoT for environmental sustainability along with eco-friendly hardware to reduce the generation of e-waste. With proper techniques in place, the discarded devices can be refurbished and reused, saving millions of dollars for the enterprise in the manufacturing of new products.
Using IoT and AI, businesses can develop systems to monitor their hardware. The system can detect and notify the consumer if the life cycle of a part is over or has turned faulty and guide the consumer through replacement procedures. An efficient IoT based AI-driven system can help decrease our carbon footprint.
Soil pollution is a major issue faced today due to population growth, intensive farming, and other activities. Two hundred fifty thousand deaths occur every year all over the world due to pesticide poisoning. Food production is the key to sustenance of human life on earth. Application of AI and IoT for environmental sustainability includes methods to monitor crops and Soil and maximize crop production with a low impact on the environment. IoT and AI technologies have the potential to transform traditional agricultural practices. They pave the way for safer agricultural methods and ultimately benefit people's health. Smart monitoring devices and sensors can be attached to crops to monitor their growth constantly. Anomalies can be detected and resolved immediately. Parameters such as hydration, plant nutrition, and diseases can be monitored in real-time. The data can then be utilized to determine irrigation patterns and recommend the best watering cycles. A better variety of crops having high nutritional content can be farmed using AI, which can also lower our use of harmful pesticides.
Many animal species have become extinct or are on the brink of extinction. This is a huge problem affecting the bio-diversity of the planet. IoT and AI can be used to study animal behavioral patterns, such as migration, mating, and feeding habits. AI technologies like computer vision enable the monitoring of these species non-invasively. Advanced AI and vision techniques help detect animals in pictures from cameras placed to track and study animal movements. A US based company uses computer vision to detect footprints of rhinos, cheetahs, and other endangered species to identify, track, and determine circumstances that threaten them.
AI can help protect large forest areas by monitoring them using AI-enabled drones. The data collected can be used to map the area and monitor changes. Species detection, forest coverage area, and poaching routes can be tracked using AI-enabled systems.
