Collaboration & Co-Creation Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability

IBM, C40 Developing AI Solutions for Climate-Resilient Cities

IBM and C40 Cities will co-create a data-driven, AI-powered solution to help cities analyze potential risks that may arise due to extreme heat and the urban heat island effect — including stressed energy resources, increases in mortality rates and socioeconomic disparities.

Published 3 weeks ago | About a 5 minute read

Image: Francisco Ghisletti

IBM and C40 Cities — a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s major cities, united in action to confront the climate crisis — have teamed up through the IBM Sustainability Accelerator to scale up climate innovation action in cities around the world.

The project will develop artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to advance city resiliency and address specific climate-related challenges facing urban communities, in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal 11.

August 2024 was the hottest month on record, capping Earth’s hottest summer since global records began in 1880. Heat stress is now the leading cause of weather-related deaths around the world, according to the World Health Organization, and urban communities are disproportionately affected — as the typical “concrete jungle” is characterized by a lack of green space and a predominance of concrete structures and streets that absorb heat.

A growing number of organizations are working to address this by increasing urban tree cover, facilitating community access to green space, and adding solar-reflective coatings to buildings and paved areas to help mitigate the heat island effect — and new studies and frameworks are emerging to help increase climate resilience and health equity in cities — but these efforts remain piecemeal.

“Cities are on the frontline of an extreme heat crisis,” asserted Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities. “Through this collaboration with IBM’s Sustainability Accelerator, we have a groundbreaking opportunity to harness AI-driven solutions to help cities analyze risks, strengthen resilience and protect their most vulnerable communities. At C40, we are committed to ensuring mayors have the best data and tools available to make informed decisions and drive impactful climate action. We look forward to working with IBM to develop innovative strategies that will help cities worldwide adapt to rising temperatures and build a more sustainable future.”

In early 2024, IBM held a request for proposals from nonprofit and government organizations for technology-driven projects to advance city resiliency. Out of more than 100 applicants, C40 Cities was one of five organizations selected to participate in this new cohort of IBM Sustainability Accelerator projects.

Participants were selected for their significant level of support to the communities they serve, as well as the innovative ways each organization plans to leverage AI technology to increase the resilience of cities. Each organization will receive up to $3 million in cash and in-kind donations of technology and services.

In spite of the US’ recent about face in climate-related policies and priorities at the federal level, the C40 network of mayors joined many other government and business leaders in reaffirming their commitment to meaningful climate action. As Kate Gallego — Mayor of Phoenix, Climate Mayors Chair and C40 Cities Vice-Chair — said: “Regardless of the federal government’s actions, mayors are not backing down on our commitment to the Paris Agreement. The cost of inaction is simply too high. As we have recently seen from the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, extreme summer temperatures in Phoenix, and hard-hitting hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida, the effects of our changing climate are at our doorstep. Our constituents are looking to us to meet the moment and deliver meaningful solutions, which is why we’re expanding our work with partners across the United States — from philanthropy and business leaders to members of Congress and governors. We’re building an implementation plan that meets our targets under the Paris Agreement and ensures that our cities remain resilient and prosperous for future generations.”

IBM and C40 Cities will now work together to create a data-driven, AI-powered solution to help cities analyze potential risks that may arise due to extreme heat and the urban heat island effect — including stressed energy resources, increases in mortality rates and socioeconomic disparities. The new solution will aim to enable cities to create adaptation strategies to help alleviate population health risks and economic burdens while strengthening national resilience efforts. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and the Group on Earth Observations will also support this project.

The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social innovation program that applies IBM technologies —including hybrid cloud and AI — and an ecosystem of experts to enhance and scale nonprofit and government organization initiatives, accelerating economic impact for communities vulnerable to climate stress. To date, the IBM Sustainability Accelerator has supported 20 global projects across four active cohorts focused on sustainable agriculture, clean energy, water management and resilient cities around the world.

“AI has the potential to unlock a new economic and innovation era for communities worldwide, helping people tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said IBM VP and Chief Impact Officer Justina Nixon-Saintil. “We believe that much of this potential to improve people’s lives resides in transforming cities, and this is what we are aiming to do with our AI technology and expertise.”

IBM and C40 Cities will collaborate over two years and in two phases. The first phase will begin with the IBM Garage — IBM’s methodology for accelerating digital transformation and delivering meaningful, measurable outcomes. Next, during the Development and Implementation phase, IBM experts will configure IBM resources and technology to help participants meet their goals, support pilot deployments in communities and facilitate further scaling.