ETH Podcast - Can AI help tackle climate change?

Can AI help tackle climate change?

05/20/20 • 35 min

ETH Podcast

Lynn Kaack and David Dao on how to stop the global warming

Can AI tackle climate change?

Climate change hasn’t been hitting the headlines quite as much in recent months – but that’s not because the situation has improved. ETH Zurich researchers Lynn Kaack and David Dao spoke to the ETH Podcast back in March about how we can use AI to help in the fight against climate change.

This episode of the ETH podcast is about Lynn Kaack’s and David Dao’s work on the energy transition and forests, their work with the organisation Climate Change AI, and their take on research, activism and policy.

We pushed back the podcast that had been produced before the lockdown due to our special series on COVID-19 and it has now been supplemented with current statements from the two researchers. Because we wanted to know what had changed for them.

More on The Energy Politics Group: https://epg.ethz.ch/

Please also read the article "Artificial intelligence can help combat climate change": https://inf.ethz.ch/news-and-events/spotlights/2020/01/interview_david_dao.html

More on the International Conference on Learning Representations: https://iclr.cc/Conferences/2020/Schedule?q=kaack

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.

Lynn Kaack and David Dao on how to stop the global warming

Can AI tackle climate change?

More on The Energy Politics Group: https://epg.ethz.ch/

Please also read the article "Artificial intelligence can help combat climate change": https://inf.ethz.ch/news-and-events/spotlights/2020/01/interview_david_dao.html

More on the International Conference on Learning Representations: https://iclr.cc/Conferences/2020/Schedule?q=kaack

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.

Previous Episode

#COVID–19: Interdisciplinarity is key

Interview with Detlef Günther, Vice President for Research at ETH Zurich

The coronavirus pandemic forced ETH Zurich to suspend almost all its experimental research in mid-March. This was a major challenge, especially for Detlef Günther, ETH’s Vice President for Research. "But now I see a little more light at the end of the tunnel," he says in the podcast. After all, experimental research is now being stepped up again, albeit with restrictions, as the strict rules on physical distancing and hygiene still apply. Full occupancy is therefore not possible in many laboratories. Despite the adverse circumstances, Günther also sees some positive consequences of the pandemic: it has brought together many disciplines that were previously not connected with each other. His hope is "If we preserve just 20 percent of this mentality, we will definitely bring ETH much further forward in solving future challenges".

The podcast episode with Detlef Günther concludes ETH’s #COVID-19 special series. Of course, the coronavirus will keep the world busy for some time yet and the topic will certainly play a role in upcoming podcast episodes. However, it's also time for the ETH Podcast to find its way back to a normality where different topics have their place and are explored again in more detail.

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.