Topic: 2025 – Artificial Intelligence and Resource Consumption
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: Ruby Walker
While Brazil is not a leader of AI development on a global scale, it is making rapid advancements in AI usage and is at the forefront of AI development in Latin America along with the country of Chile. Due to Brazil’s continuously growing tech ecosystem and renewable energy infrastructure, it has been able to make rapid developments and foster innovation in AI usage. Brazil has lower scientific production rates, meaning results of research and scientific work, then other leading countries in AI development. However, they have a high rate of company adoption, meaning that many of their leading companies are actively and strategically integrating artificial intelligence into their operations. This displays how Brazil takes an approach to AI development that supports economic growth and human values as opposed to scientific results. However, in recent years, Brazil has become more focused on prioritizing the development and exportation of crucial resources that contribute to the development of AI, shifting their focus and utilizing the abundance of resources that makes Brazil unique and sets them apart from other countries around the world that focus on the development of AI.
Brazil has a significant amount of mineral resources. In fact, Brazil currently has the second-largest reserves of rare earth elements (REEs) in the world. They have also become a major exporter of lithium in recent years, and also hold substantial reserves of other important minerals, including cobalt, silicon, and others. Because of their large amount of important mineral resources, the government has shifted their focus to the development of these resources with the goal of becoming a major player in the global supply chain, instead of just exporting raw materials and missing out on the monetary gain of developing these materials themselves. However, Brazil faces a major challenge to obtain and develop these materials due to a lack of investment and infrastructure. For example, Brazil currently has only one functioning mine, which is located in the central state of Goiás. However, Brazil has plans to combat this issue. Earlier this year, Brazil built South America’s first rare earth element magnet plant called CIT SENAI ITR, located in Minas Gerais, with the goal of becoming a player in the global AI hardware component market as opposed to being only a consumer, by developing and exporting their large reserve of REEs. Brazil has also recently launched the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan 2024-2028, with the goal of investing resources into infrastructure, talent, and innovation regarding AI innovation, while also maintaining ethical guidelines and regulatory framework for the responsible usage of artificial intelligence. However, it is important to note that the mining and usage of the artificial intelligence resources that Brazil has an abundant supply of are often extremely harmful for the environment. While Brazil claims to place a focus on being environmentally conscious, there is still more they could be doing to protect the environment by following UNEP recommendations, such as establishing standardized procedures for measuring the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, and developing regulations that require companies to be transparent regarding the environmental consequences of AI. They could also place a greater focus on sustainable mining practices when harvesting these resources, and reducing fresh water consumption in the development of these resources.
Many steps are being taken globally to reduce AI’s impact on the environment. For example, in 2021, UNESCO established the first global standard on AI ethics – officially called the “Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence”- in order to minimize the risks of artificial intelligence while still benefiting from the scientific breakthroughs being made. One of the reasons that this recommendation is beneficial is due to its policy action areas, which are categories such as environment and ecosystems which policymakers can apply to their specific areas of research and action in order to be compliant with UNESCO’s recommendations. The EU has also introduced AI regulations with data usage controls in order to minimize the environmental damage of AI, passing the EU AI Act in March of 2024. The EU’s parliament wanted AI to be safe and environmentally friendly, and they attempted to achieve this goal by banning many AI applications used in the European Union. As Brazil continues to develop and grow in the global artificial intelligence market, it is important for them to remember to follow the guidelines set in place by global organizations, and to prioritize environmental morality and promote ethical values over money.
Works cited
European Parliament. “EU AI Act: First Regulation on Artificial Intelligence.” European Parliament, 19 Feb. 2025, www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence.
Environment, UN. “Artificial Intelligence (AI) End-To-End: The Environmental Impact of the Full AI Lifecycle Needs to Be Comprehensively Assessed.” UNEP – UN Environment Programme, 2024, www.unep.org/resources/report/artificial-intelligence-ai-end-end-environmental-impact-full-ai-lifecycle-needs-be .
Knight, Will. “The United Nations Wants to Treat AI with the Same Urgency as Climate Change.” WIRED, WIRED, 19 Sept. 2024, www.wired.com/story/united-nations-artificial-intelligence-report/
Malleret, Constance. “Rare Earth Reserves Are in Global Demand. Can Brazil Change the Playbook?” The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2025, www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2025/0827/brazil-rare-earths-trump
UNEP. “AI Has an Environmental Problem. Here’s What the World Can Do about That.” UNEP, 21 Sept. 2024, www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about.
UNESCO. “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.” UNESCO, www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics.
