The project "Digital Technologies and Environmental Sustainability in Brazil” is carried out by Cetic.br | NIC.br and supported by the UK Government under the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) - Digital Access Programme (DAP).
Among the outcomes of the projet are the Workshop Series “Mapping and Dissemination of Research on Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability.” This initiative aims to map and disseminate research on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in support of environmental sustainability, while also addressing and mitigating the risks associated with its adoption. It places particular emphasis on fostering knowledge exchange and identifying research priorities among leading AI research centres in Brazil and the United Kingdom.
Participants are expected to:
⦁ Share their institutional research agendas and concrete examples of work at the intersection of AI and environmental sustainability;
⦁ Map existing gaps and future research directions in the field;
⦁ Contribute to building research networks that enable future collaboration.
The first in-person workshop will take place in London, UK, on 8–9 June 2026. The second workshop will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1–3 September 2026. A report mapping concrete applications of AI in support of environmental sustainability will be prepared based on the contributions gathered during the workshops.
CONTEXT
Digital technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), offer significant potential to accelerate evidence-based decision-making, support decarbonisation strategies, and strengthen climate resilience efforts, making them essential assets in addressing the climate emergency. However, the availability of reliable evidence and robust indicators to assess the environmental footprint of AI remains limited. This gap is largely attributed to fragmented and inconsistent measurement practices across the AI lifecycle, including training, inference, and supply chains, a challenge that is even more pronounced in countries of the Global South.
At the same time, the inclusive and equitable dissemination of digital and AI-enabled technologies depends on the presence of key enabling conditions, such as universal and meaningful connectivity. This is particularly relevant in regions of high strategic importance for climate action, such as the Amazon region, where digital divides risk constraining the adoption and impact of technology-based environmental solutions. In summary, the project aims to expand and systematize the evidence base required to inform public policy and strategic decision-making, while enhancing the visibility and scalability of AI applications that contribute to environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on addressing measurement gaps and contextual challenges in Brazil.
