Balancing Act: AI’s Role in Reconciling Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability

Erich Schlesinger, Uyên Nguyễn Cao Thục and Subhankar Das ()
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Erich Schlesinger: Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu – National Louis University
Uyên Nguyễn Cao Thục: Duy Tan University
Subhankar Das: Duy Tan University

A chapter in Generative AI for a Net-Zero Economy, 2025, pp 129-143 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In this Anthropocene age, the growing conflict between economic growth and sustainability can no longer be neglected, and brainstorming solutions is essential. This chapter discusses artificial intelligence (AI) not just as a technology but as a paradigm shift enabling solutions to multiple challenges by mapping the dual imperatives of resource efficiency and multipurpose modelling for environmental prediction, accelerating circular economies. Via interdisciplinary analysis and design—encompassing ecological economics, case studies, and ethical frameworks—the study illustrates AI’s promise to delink economic growth from environmental degradation, as demonstrated through smart energy grids, precision agriculture, and waste management applications. However, the technology’s ethical risks—energy-intensive infrastructure, algorithmic bias, and inequitable access—highlight the urgent need for green and equitable governance models. Aligning AI with sustainability principles of transparency, equity, and planetary boundaries will empower stakeholders to build AI-driven, sustainable, and inclusive growth. The results support redesigning collaborative frameworks to prioritise Green AI innovations and policy organisation, while advancing for global equity to convert the theoretical potential of Green AI into implementable pathways for a regenerative future.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Economic growth; Environmental sustainability; Decoupling; Ethical governance; Circular economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-96-8015-3_8

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-8015-3_8

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