BLOOMBERG • June 4, 2023
AI algorithms are already being used in the fight against climate change, biodiversity decline and pollution. But while AI has made the process efficient and autonomous, there are limitations. The Ocean Cleanup, for example, has simply reinvented trawl fishing, but for plastic. That comes with risks for ocean life and biodiversity — the very thing it’s trying to save. Tens of thousands of small sea creatures could get caught in the nets. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. At the current rate, plastic will outweigh fish by 2050. The Ocean Cleanup has so far caught about 3,300 tons of the stuff. A global legally binding treaty, like the one being hashed out in Paris this week, will make the biggest difference to the plastic problem by tackling it at source rather than remedying the symptoms. ~ Lara Williams