New technologies and environmental securitization: an analysis of the impacts of artificial intelligence

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51359/2675-7354.2025.268280

Keywords:

artificial intelligence, environment, quantitative methods, securitization, new technologies

Abstract

How can new technologies contribute to the securitization of the environment? We address this question using mixed methods. The contemporary challenges brought by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have elevated climate issues and the sustainability debate to the field of international security. High-impact cyberattacks on critical infrastructures reveal the current inseparability between the environment and the cyber ecosystem; for instance, AI-driven cyberattacks can target water and sewage treatment systems, degrading water quality and sabotaging pollution alerts. The research design includes quantitative techniques. In summary, we mapped highly significant incidents with potential environmental impact, describing their main trends. Among the key findings, we identified that, although research on
this topic is still emerging, there is a massive presence of high-significance incidents affecting critical infrastructures and potentially impacting the environment.

Author Biographies

Marcos Aurelio Guedes de Oliveira, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

 Professor Titular de Ciência Política na Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. PhD em Government pela University of Essex. Simón Bolívar Chair (2000). Líder do Grupo de Pesquisa "O Brasil e as Américas".

Renato Victor Lira Brito, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Investigador Visitante no Instituto Universitário de Lisboa - Iscte. Mestre e Doutorando em Ciência Política no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Política da UFPE. Membro da Comissão de Direitos Humanos Dom Helder Câmara da UFPE. Vice-líder do Grupo de Pesquisa "Segurança Cibernética e Direitos Humanos".

Júlia Costa Amancio Santos Coriolano, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Bacharela em Ciência Política com ênfase em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.

Júlia Cardoso Lima Pastick, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Mestranda em Ciência Política e Bacharela em Ciência Política com ênfase em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.

Maria Clara Miranda Bezerra Dias, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Bacharelanda em Ciência Política com ênfase em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.

Taís Barbosa Gusmão, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Bacharelanda em Ciência Política com ênfase em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.

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Published

2025-12-11

How to Cite

Oliveira, M. A. G. de, Lira Brito, R. V., Coriolano, J. C. A. S., Pastick, J. C. L., Dias, M. C. M. B., & Gusmão, T. B. (2025). New technologies and environmental securitization: an analysis of the impacts of artificial intelligence. Estudos Universitários, 42(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.51359/2675-7354.2025.268280