| Technology | Opportunities for the Environment | ||||||||||
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| Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Big Data |
Data Analytics | Emissions, air quality, and pollution levels data collection, monitoring, cleaning, integration, analysis, visualization, and prediction (Davis 2021) |
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| Automation | Automation Control and navigation of monitoring robots (Sky News 2021). | ||||||||||
| Digital Twin technologies | Weather and environment monitoring and prediction | ||||||||||
| Machine learning algorithms | Supply of low-carbon power technologies forecasting (wind, solar) less harmful than high-carbon power technologies that rely on fossil fuels. • Predicting supply and demand for cheaper and cleaner fuels to power the baseload and react to unforeseen events that require a spike in demand. |
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| Efficient Energy Use | Forecasting renewable power and demand for renewable energy. • Used to improve the scheduling and the forecasting of supply of low-carbon power. |
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| Optimizing Systems Control | Reducing energy usage. | ||||||||||
| Forecasting | Absorbing and analyzing historical data, and producing more accurate forecasts • Renewable energy in grids requires more accurate forecasts for renewable power and demand. Examples include solar and wind power on the grid and optimizing forecasts for agricultural yields. • AI forecasting increases the efficiency and optimization of climate models. |
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| Block | Smart Grid Management | Increases the speed of exchange, minimizing transacting backlog and costs. • Improves availability and reliability of data. • Ameliorates auditability by verifying records in near real time. • Conveys titles of physical commodities between market participants. |
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| Peer to Peer Energy Markets | Improves and manages smart grids in decentralized energy markets. • Allows for reliable and transparent peer-to-peer trade of power. • Connecting blockchains and solar panels enabling consumers to benefit from distributed generation. |
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| Digital Twin technologies | Weather and environment monitoring and prediction | ||||||||||
| Market platform for renewable energy certificates | • Creates an alternative revenue stream for renewable energy via an open-source tool to build digital platforms which can register users and devices, track renewable energy, and issue corresponding energy attribute certificates. |
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| Micro-leasing marketplace | Enables the distribution, receiving and transparency of funds digitally between | ||||||||||
| Digital Measurement Reporting and Verification |
Structured data collected via Internet of Things (IoT) and secured on a blockchain • Measurement Reporting and Verification increases the data utility to support decision-making for climate and sustainability. |
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| Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)s | Used for climate change through awareness-raising/ fundraising and as an immutable record for carbon credits. | ||||||||||
| GIS and Satellite Imaging | Geographic Information System | Geospatial data collection of habitat information and accurate measurements of forest borders to support preservation efforts (Sky News 2021). • Geospatial sensing and monitoring of emissions and air quality (Acton et al 2022a) |
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| Remote Sensing Technologies | Guides policymakers to make data-driven decisions when identifying, planning, implementing, and measuring the effectiveness of nature-based solutions (Supples et al. 2022). • Landscape-level characterizations of biodiversity and the surrounding environment in a spatially exhaustive, systematic, repeatable manner (Duro et al. 2007). |
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| Smart Infrastructure |
Smart Grids | Reducing energy loss through household energy efficiency, monitoring energy consumption, and maintaining efficient use of energy (Sky News 2021). |
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| Smart Transportation | Autonomous vehicles and smart transportation systems change road network use, reducing the stop-start nature of traffic. • Smart and interconnected transportation system reduces pollution and optimizes driving effort, time, and emissions. A range of studies has estimated that smart transportation systems can improve fuel efficiency by 15-40%, reducing emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, not to mention the benefits of safety and congestion (Shaheen and |
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| Smart Buildings and Cities | • Mitigating building inefficiencies through sensors and analytics (Acton et al 2022a) The Government of Abu Dhabi, UAE, has launched the 2030 Masdar City project, a pioneer in sustainability and a research hub for clean energy and technology. Their master plan provides the “highest quality of life within the lowest environmental footprint” by encouraging cleantech innovation and investments and achieving sustainable urban and energy management. |
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| Spatial Mapping | Earth Observation (EO) |
The project Mapping Nature for People and Planet shows a concrete application of the benefits of digitalization and spatial mapping. This project, currently piloted by UNDP in 13 countries, aims to support nations using the latest advances in GIS, AI, and Data Analytics, to create their own national ‘Map of Hope’. Local stakeholders use national and global spatial data to identify Essential Life Support Areas. The result is an interactive map that governments can use to develop policies and prioritize areas for protection, management, and restoration. • Drives the creation of rigorous targets for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework • Supports countries in monitoring progress towards the Rio Conventions and the 2030 Agenda. • Derives indicators on key biodiversity changes, land cover, productivity, topography, biophysical and structural parameters of vegetation such as forests and mangroves (including biomass and carbon stocks) with faster speed, lower cost, and broader scale. (Yang et al. 2013; Zhao et al. 2022). |
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| Data Access |
Development of cloud computing environments, data management and analysis platforms to address the storage and processing capacities of personal servers, allowing users (nations, researchers, and civil society) to directly access these datasets, with leaders including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure Cloud Services, Google Earth Engine (GEE), and the Joint Research Center Big Data Platform (Gorelick et al. 2017; Soille et al. 2018). • Monitoring the state of the planet. • Provides policymakers with easier access to spatial data to support countries’ adoption of nature-based solutions for development. • Using systematic conservation planning approaches and tools also enables users to bring together diverse datasets to support countries in prioritizing actions to protect, restore, and sustainably manage biodiversity to achieve their nature, climate, and sustainable development commitments. • Increasing number of online tools with user-friendly interfaces that enable access to spatial data such as the UN Biodiversity Lab (CBD Secretariat, UNDP, UNEP, and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre), Resource Watch (the World Resources Institute), Global Forest Watch (the World Resources Institute), Trends. Earth (Conservation International) and Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT Alliance). |
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| Digital Twins | Energy, water, and telecoms networks allow climate projections, hydrological models, and flood forecasting. • Allow the forecasting of where a flood would occur, but also if an electricity substation floods and what would be the knock-on effects on the network. • Benefits include bringing together, connecting, and leveraging different models to evaluate their impact considering multiple variables at a larger scale. • Combining with Augmented Reality simulates natural disaster impacts on the networks through real-time interaction and accurate 3D registration. |
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| Information & Communication Technology (ICT) |
Remote working: reducing transportation, heating, and cooling emissions (Sky News 2021). • Crowdsourced monitoring using smartphone apps (Acton et al 2021; Davis 2021) • Repurposed smartphones create early warning systems (Acton et al 2022a) |
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| IoT and Sensors |
Monitor habitat changes and prevent animal poaching • Remote monitoring of emissions, air quality, and climate indicators (Smith 2021; Acton et al 2021). • Early warning networks to detect signs of critical climate phenomena, or unwanted human presence in protected areas (Acton et al 2022b) • IoT-based air and water quality monitoring systems are used to monitor air and water quality in cities by installing several data-collection sensors. This data is then calculated according to the Air Quality Index (AQI). • Inform policymakers and stakeholders about air quality and predict air quality measures (Toma et al. 2019; Moursi et al. 2021). |
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| Robotics |
Solar-powered monitoring robots, autonomous robots and drones create early warning systems to detect unusual environment indicators or climate patterns (Acton et al 2022a) |
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