Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Slowing down deforestation by using AI, ML, and open source data (SUS205)

Summary

T. Luke Young, Climate Change Lead for Latin America, Canada, and the Caribbean, introduced the session, emphasizing the application of AI, ML, and geospatial data in climate sustainability for both public and commercial sectors.
Felipe Nunez from the Centro de Inteligencia Territorial discussed integrating AI, ML, and geospatial data analysis to inform evidence-based decisions in public sectors.
The session highlighted the shift from reactive to proactive approaches in addressing climate disasters, such as deforestation and its impact on microclimates.
Methane emissions were discussed, with a focus on agriculture, waste, and energy sectors, and the use of AI, ML, and IoT to reduce emissions.
AWS's AI/ML stack, including EC2 instances, AWS Inferentia, SageMaker Geospatial, Amazon Transcribe, TextTrek, and Gen AI, was presented as tools for environmental analysis and prediction.
A case study on air quality prediction using OpenAQ data and AWS services was shared.
Felipe Nunez presented the Celo Verde 2.1 platform, a public and open-source tool for monitoring deforestation and compliance with Brazilian law, emphasizing the need for transparency in global supply chains.
The session concluded with a call to action for using AWS resources to create sustainable solutions and an invitation for feedback and further engagement.

The integration of AI, ML, and geospatial data is crucial for proactive environmental monitoring and decision-making, particularly in the public sector.
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is a significant focus area for climate sustainability efforts, with AI and IoT being leveraged to reduce emissions from key sectors.
AWS provides a comprehensive stack of AI/ML services that can be utilized for environmental analysis, including infrastructure, processing chips, and specialized tools like SageMaker Geospatial.
Open-source data initiatives, such as the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative, play a vital role in providing accessible data for environmental analysis.
The Celo Verde 2.1 platform demonstrates the potential of cloud technology and scientific research to increase transparency in supply chains and aid in law enforcement against deforestation.
The scalability and adaptability of tools like Celo Verde 2.1 suggest that similar approaches can be applied to other regions and commodities, highlighting the global applicability of the solutions discussed.
Collaboration between the private sector, academia, research, and public sector is essential for developing effective and scalable solutions for climate sustainability.