The Ethics of Green Technology - How to use artificial intelligence consciously in environmental activism - OPINION April 21, 2025

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The Ethics of Green Technology

How to use artificial intelligence consciously in environmental activism

By Ana Lucia Cunha-Busch - Founder of The Green Amazon News

We live in urgent times. Climate collapse, water scarcity, environmental degradation, and historical inequalities all demand action. And to act, we must communicate. But how can we communicate on a global scale, with depth, without further depleting our planet’s resources?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of those tools. It accelerates processes, empowers small teams, and amplifies ideas. But it also raises an essential question:

Can we use AI to defend sustainability — sustainably?

The hidden impact of technology

AI runs on massive data centers that consume electricity and, indirectly, water to cool servers. Some academic studies estimate that a single AI query may consume up to a liter of water, depending on the infrastructure.

While numbers vary, they remind us that every digital action leaves a physical trace. Even data has an environmental footprint.

Technology with soul: a conscious use

Used mindfully, AI can become a regenerative tool. A way to:

• Reduce emissions and unnecessary travel

• Save physical resources and time

• Democratize access to environmental knowledge

• Support activists, educators, and small media projects

At The Green Amazon News, we use AI to write, edit, and amplify our message. Not to replace human voices, but to serve people and the planet. It´s as avoidable as possible.

Ethics before efficiency

Technology isn’t neutral. It reflects the hands and minds that shape it. That’s why we need to ask:

• What powers this machine?

• Who benefits from it?

• What kind of future does it build?

When we bring these questions to the center, AI becomes more than a tool — it becomes an ethical choice, and a strategic ally for climate justice.

The purpose is resistance.

Yes, AI consumes resources. But it can also save lives, preserve human energy, and accelerate transformation. Using it with ethics, empathy, and purpose becomes a bridge, not a barrier.

A green tool, when guided by conscious hands.

As with everything in life, we are constantly faced with the challenge of balancing our actions. The most important thing is not to lose sight of our true goal: to protect nature, human beings, and animals — and that is something we do not negotiate.