The report comes at a pivotal time, as countries grapple with rising global temperatures and increasingly complex environmental challenges.
The World Governments Summit Organisation, in collaboration with Accenture, launched “The Climate Advantage: How AI Can Help Governments Drive Better Climate Action”, a groundbreaking report that outlines how artificial intelligence (AI) can empower governments to accelerate their climate agendas across key sectors.
The report comes at a pivotal time, as countries grapple with rising global temperatures and increasingly complex environmental challenges. It points out that since the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2015, commitments from both developed and developing countries have increased nearly 18-fold although they are still not enough, considering the rising temperatures – 2024 was the hottest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation, and the first year when the global average surface temperature exceeded 1.5°C.
Highlighting over 20 global case studies and drawing data from more than 50 countries with national AI strategies, the report identifies seven key domains where AI is already making a significant impact: policy formulation, climate modeling, sustainable agriculture, urban planning, energy management, citizen engagement, and government procurement.
Mohamed Al Sharhan, Managing Director of the World Governments Summit Organisation, affirmed that “the report comes at a time marked by rapid transformations in the development of artificial intelligence technologies and environmental challenges. This requires the creation of balanced opportunities, solutions, and policies that support government readiness and enhance their ability to achieve the highest levels of adaptation and balance amid global transformations, leading to the best possible outcomes.”
Ramez T. Shehadi, Global Public Sector Strategy Lead, MEA Strategy and Consulting Lead at Accenture, stated, “AI has the potential to be one of the most powerful tools in our fight against climate change—but only if governments lead with bold vision and decisive action. The report provides governments with the roadmap to harness AI not only to protect our planet, but also to drive inclusive economic growth, improve public services, and build more resilient communities. Limiting emissions and planning for adaptation are crucial priorities for the world. Clearly, the future of climate leadership is digital— and the time to act is now.”
Key insights from the report: Climate TRACE data shows oil and gas emissions may be up to 3x higher than officially reported; Maharashtra, India, used AI to improve sugarcane crop yields by up to 40 percent while cutting water and fertiliser use; Northumberland, UK’s FloodAI provided real-time flood alerts, outperforming traditional forecasting models; Singapore’s Green Data Centre Roadmap prioritises AI-powered sustainability standards, including mandatory renewable energy sourcing by 2027.
AI and Climate Response: Over 50 countries have national AI strategies, signaling strong global momentum toward public sector AI adoption; In a 26-country survey of government employees, 66 percent identified predictive analytics as AI’s most promising use for climate applications.
AI in Agriculture: Abu Dhabi’s AI-enhanced soil analysis improved coverage by 95 percent and predicted contaminants with 88 percent accuracy; In Kenya, an AI-driven crop advisory platform reached 1,500+ farms, delivering tailored insights via mobile apps.
AI in Smart Cities and Infrastructure: The AI4Cities pilot in Finland and Norway cut energy use in public buildings by 15–20 percent; East Lansing (USA) reduced recycling contamination by 23 percent and improved participation by 45 percent through AI-powered waste systems.
AI in Energy Optimisation: AI-enabled solar forecasting in the UK (Open Climate Fix) improved accuracy by 2.8x over traditional methods, cutting unnecessary fossil fuel use; AI-powered grids like the US eGridGPT simulate live scenarios to help operators react to demand surges in real time.
AI in Citizen Engagement: The vTaiwan platform and Helsinki’s UrbanistAI show how generative AI and digital twins can turn citizen input into tangible planning outcomes; ClimateQ&A AI chatbot answered over 30,000 public questions in multiple languages since March 2023.
AI-driven Supply Chain Transparency: SeloVerde (Brazil) monitors deforestation-linked supply chains over 20 million hectares, with the potential to prevent 739 million tons of CO₂ emissions by 2030.
AI’s Carbon Footprint: AI data centrer emissions are projected to surge from 68 million tonnes in 2024 to 718 million tonnes by 2030, underlining the need for green digital infrastructure; The EU and Singapore have introduced regulations tying new data centre capacity to sustainability performance.
The Climate Advantage report warns of the environmental cost of digital growth, noting that AI data centre emissions could rise more than tenfold by 2030. Calling for urgent government action to implement green digital infrastructure, the report offers proof points of effective policies from Europe, Singapore and the United States.
As with the informal economy, the lack of data on social capital in developing nations…
Over the past decade, euro area insurers have been challenged by the prolonged period of…
FinTech has transformed finance, but the broader effects of digital payments on consumers, businesses, and…
The global minimum tax represents the most ambitious international effort in decades to curb profit…
Green debt has become a defining feature of sustainable finance, as firms and investors seek…
Have you ever wondered how satellites orbiting thousands of kilometers above Earth can help farmers…