Climate change is undeniably one of the most critical challenges facing the world today. It demands innovative solutions, especially in the realms of prediction and mitigation. Among the tools that offer significant promise is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is reshaping the landscape of climate science by improving forecasting models, enhancing renewable energy systems, and driving policy changes towards sustainability. However, how AI is utilized to address climate change varies dramatically between countries, influenced by distinct governance structures, technological priorities, and institutional setups. This study offers a comparative analysis of the United States and China, two global powerhouses in the fields of AI and climate action. The research explores how these two nations, despite sharing similar climate objectives, adopt different strategies based on their political, economic, and technological contexts. The US tends to rely on decentralized, market-driven innovation, while China employs a more centralized, state-guided approach. These differences significantly impact the deployment of AI in critical areas like climate modeling, emissions monitoring, and energy optimization. The analysis is framed within the context of comparative institutionalism and technological innovation systems, which provide the theoretical underpinnings to explore the influence of political, economic, and technological factors on climate strategies. The findings of this study reveal that while the US thrives on innovation driven by the private sector, leading to the development of cutting-edge AI tools, China benefits from a unified national strategy that ensures rapid implementation on a large scale. Both models have distinct advantages and drawbacks, ultimately shaping each country’s contribution to the global fight against climate change. This paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of these findings for global cooperation in AI governance, highlighting the importance of international collaboration to fully harness AI’s potential for climate mitigation. This research thus contributes to the ongoing conversation around AI’s role in fostering sustainable development, offering practical insights and shedding light on how global political contexts influence technological solutions for the climate crisis.
Read full abstract