The Environmental Footprint of AI

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore one of the most urgent and complex questions of our time: Can AI meaningfully help humanity navigate climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater scarcity, and the broader planetary pressures shaping the Anthropocene — without worsening them? Drawing on the new 2025 synthesis report AI for a Planet Under Pressure from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the conversation unpacks how artificial intelligence is being used today to model ecosystems, accelerate scientific discovery, and surface hidden patterns that humans alone cannot easily see. At the same time, Sean and Andrew wrestle with the paradox at the heart of AI-driven sustainability: data centers require staggering amounts of energy, water, and planetary resources, raising the unsettling possibility that the tools designed to save us may also accelerate the crisis.

The discussion travels from planetary boundaries and microplastics to China’s renewable-energy surge, climate cooperation, wicked problems, and the deep human behaviors that often undermine long-term sustainability efforts. They also ask whether AI could help foster global cooperation — even acting as a kind of AI “peacemaker” — and explore why futures thinking, human agency, and ethical governance are essential if any of these technological pathways are to work. Ultimately, the episode examines both the promise and peril of letting AI become an architect of planetary futures.

[Report] - AI for a Planet Under Pressure - Stockholm Resilience Centre 

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Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu

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Host Bios:

Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU Bio
Sean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.

Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU Bio
Andrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.

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