AI and Climate MERL
This group explores the potential of AI for MERL related to Climate Change and Climate Justice. It also looks into the climate and wider environmental issues with AI — including water, energy and other aspects. The group will explore alternative, green AI as a way to reduce and mitigate the ways that AI contributes to environmental degradation and climate change.
Meet the co-leads
Currently, this group is co-led by Madhuri Karak and Cathy Richards.
Cathy Richards (she/her) is a technologist who helps activists, organizations, and other social change agents make the most of data and technology in order to increase their impact. She is currently a technologist and a Civic Science Fellow & Data & Technology Lead at Open Environmental Data Project. She taught Metrics & Data Visualization at SVA, is a co-founder at Pueblo CoLab – a collaborative that creates tech and data processes for the social sector, and has also worked at GitLab, The Engine Room, and Keystone Accountability. Cathy is MTI’s lead on AI and Environment and supports operations as well.
Madhuri Karak, PhD (she/her) is an independent research consultant, bringing a participatory research lens to climate justice and tech, collaborating with civil society organizations, non-profits, and land rights movements across South & Southeast Asia. Her research partners include Careful Industries, Amnesty International, European Digital Rights, the Engine Room, Open Environmental Data Project, and the Environmental Defense Fund, among others. Madhuri was a Mellon-American Council of Learned Societies Fellow (2019-2021) and holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Happening in 2026: Event Series on Measuring the Impact of Data Centers
As part of their work in our community of practice, Madhuri Karak and Cathy Richards are co-leading a series of events exploring the global socio-environmental impact of data centers. The first edition of the series took place in spring 2026, focusing on the environmental impacts of data centers in the US and the European Union, intending to unpack the development of sustainability metrics within the industry. The second event focuses on the environmental impacts of data centers in Brazil.
Become a member!
Membership is free! To become a member of MERL Tech CoP, fill in this form indicating your agreement and alignment with the CoP Charter and Code of Conduct.