An AI art generator reveals the future of cities like New York, Toronto, and England

An AI art generator is not only for artistic image creation because now, it can be used to predict climate change and also the future of modern cities. Canada has developed a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, along with many other countries, meaning they won't produce more emissions than they can absorb from the atmosphere by that year. But what will happen if they don't meet this goal? As world leaders descend on Egypt for the annual climate conference known this year as COP27, experts warn that the world is not on track with meeting previous emissions-cutting goals. Most countries aren't even close to keeping their commitments made in the 2015 Paris Accord, which called for keeping global warming below 2 C or ideally 1.5 C, according to a report released in April by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Net-zero climate experts in the U.K.-based price comparison company Uswitch used an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called Midjourney to find out what major cities in the world would look like 70 years from now in the worst- and best-case climate scenarios.

The Climate Change Crisis Is Real

Finding quick and cost-effective solutions is key in order for every country to do its bit and AI can play a major role. Globally, Artificial Intelligence is helping officials fight hazards like wildfires, mitigating environmental risks in vulnerable spots, enabling drone surveillance monitoring, and other efforts to make our planet more liveable for years to come. AI will be the core enabler for all the efforts. There are several benefits to using Artificial Intelligence in addressing this challenge. Firstly, AI can help in reducing CO2 emissions and leverage huge amounts of data to help understand the cause and effect. The energy sector can use Artificial Intelligence for good to reduce its emissions and reduce the use of fossil fuel through predictive maintenance. In the transportation industry, AI solutions can predict traffic more accurately to optimize commercial transportation.

AI Predicts Climate Change

New weather-forecasting research using AI is fast-tracking global weather predictions. The study, recently published in the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, could help identify potential extreme weather 2–6 weeks into the future. Accurate predictions of extreme weather with a longer lead time give communities and critical sectors such as public health, water management, energy, and agriculture more time to prepare for and mitigate potential disasters.

Climate change is amplifying the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, with 2021 shattering storm, heatwave, flood, and drought records across the globe. According to a recent NOAA report, last year the US experienced 20 separate climate-induced weather disasters, each totaling over $1 billion in damage.

Short-term and seasonal weather forecasting can play a large role in decreasing the socioeconomic and human costs of extreme weather. In 2019, meteorologists warned local and national leaders in the Philippines of a torrential rainstorm looming about 3 weeks out. The forecast gave communities time to weatherize structures and evacuate before the Category 4 Typhoon hit, saving lives, and reducing overall damage to the region

AI For Zero Waste

Waste reduction is an area where AI can show its true power for this challenge. Greyparrot is an "AI startup that uses AI-powered computer vision software to increase transparency and automation in recycling." This startup recently raised 1.85 million pounds in a seed funding round to aid recycling with waste recognition software. To stop water wastage, a startup called WINT is using AI to detect and stop leaks at the source. The technology alerts the person when water is leaking and automatically shuts it off. Intelligence real-time monitoring identifies sources of leaks and waste to reduce your water consumption and prevent damage. All these startups use advanced predictive analytics and dynamic monitoring systems to reduce waste.

How AI Predicts future?

According to CTV News, New York has experienced severe pollution due to everyday commuter emissions, like most business hub cities. According to the AI art generator visuals, New York City's lush Central Park would become permanently dry if current trends hold and they do not reach net zero by 2050.

The capital of England has experienced notably hotter and drier summers in recent years. The average summer in London could be 5 percent drier and the average summer day could be 3 C warmer by the middle of this century, researchers at Uswitch say. Heat waves are more likely to occur and were significantly hotter in the summer of 2022, when London's temperature hit 41 C.

Working toward the net-zero target will help London avoid appearing foggy and drab, as the AI art generator images show, highlighting poor air quality and pollution.

Aiming to achieve a net-zero status by 2040, Toronto has one of North America's most aggressive goals for tackling global emissions, established after a climate emergency was declared in the city in 2019.

Fossil fuel consumption in Toronto homes, businesses and automobiles would have to be entirely phased out over the next 20 years in order to achieve the net zero by 2040 objective, according to the municipal government. This is necessary since climate change is predicted to make Toronto's weather hotter, wetter and more intense in the coming years.

"AI anticipates a dark and gloomy Toronto that has extremely visible pollution affecting the city's skyline. However, if the city council and the people of Canada contribute to making these changes then the image on the right could resemble a more positive outlook," according to a Uswitch release.

Other ways in which AI helps fight climate change

AI-powered automation vehicles are driving transformations in carbon-emitting vehicles by changing them into more sustainable means of mobility. It is promoting the use of electric vehicles, which act as a substitute for petrol and diesel-run automobiles to curb carbon emissions and track global warming. The technology also boosts the ability to predict the supply and demand for renewable resources using distributed energy-efficient power grids. Besides, deep learning networks are driving new research to build real and effective solutions for organizations to assess climate change risks and monitor global warming. With the help of artificial intelligence, the concept of sustainable and pollution-free smart cities is going to become a reality. AI predicts climate changes and behavioural changes in the wildlife. AI has given us a second chance at living healthier and more sustainable lives, let's take the opportunity and make initiatives towards a cleaner environment.