#71 KlimaGoodNews: Change with Opportunities
Digitalization is transforming the world at a rapid pace and holds enormous potential for climate protection. Even today, digital technologies help conserve resources: intelligent systems optimize energy flows, AI reduces waste, and smart traffic control prevents congestion. Everywhere, we see gains in efficiency that can lower both costs and CO₂ emissions.
Digital technologies could play a crucial role in Germany’s path to meeting its 2030 climate targets. According to a Bitkom study, they could save between 43 and 80 million tons of CO₂ by 2030—depending on the pace of digitalization. That’s equivalent to about 14 to 26 percent of the reduction target needed by then.
At the same time, digitalization itself produces emissions. Energy consumption is steadily increasing with the rise in data volumes and computing power. Today, the digital sector is already responsible for around four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
To ensure digitalization supports climate protection, it must be designed sustainably. This means green data centers, efficient software, and conscious use of digital services. It also means accompanying technological developments politically—with clear regulations, ethical perspectives, and social responsibility.
You can read about some exciting developments on the road to a more digital and sustainable future in this edition of KlimaGoodNews. Enjoy 💚
Alexandra Borchardt
Digital tools as support for local climate action
In recent years, digital technologies have rapidly advanced, offering municipalities new opportunities to actively tackle climate change. With technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D urban climate models, and digital twins, cities can manage their green spaces more efficiently.
Whether on public transport, at work, or at home – the effects of climate change are especially noticeable in cities during the summer. Urban parks, green roofs, and green infrastructure help mitigate heatwaves while also capturing CO₂.
A new study by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and Net Positive Cities shows how digital technologies can support the preservation and expansion of these green areas. For instance, 3D urban climate models allow for precise identification of urban heat islands. Based on this data, targeted measures can be taken to add green spaces or building greening in affected areas, improving residents’ quality of life.
Digital tools, such as the new Umwelt.info portal from the German Environment Agency, support cities and municipalities in becoming more climate-resilient and bridging knowledge gaps. They are valuable resources for making cities greener, more livable, and better prepared for the future.
Data centers on a path to greater efficiency
In light of the global energy shortage, data centers face the challenge of reducing their high electricity consumption. Modern facilities are increasingly relying on energy-efficient technologies to meet this demand.
Innovative cooling concepts play a key role in this transformation. By using outside air or liquid-based cooling systems, the energy requirements of data centers can be significantly reduced.
In addition, the use of artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important. Smart algorithms help optimize the operation of data centers—through predictive maintenance or precise forecasting and distribution of energy needs, for example. In the long term, the use of AI in data centers can help streamline processes and workflows in companies. In this way, data centers are increasingly contributing to the energy transition themselves.
Beyond reducing energy consumption, data centers also offer new opportunities for the heat transition. One example is the reuse of waste heat: with heat recovery systems, the energy generated by waste heat can be repurposed—for instance, to heat residential areas. However, this requires the expansion of district heating networks capable of absorbing and distributing the recovered heat. Although there are still infrastructural challenges, this approach holds great potential for an energy-efficient and climate-friendly future.
Pauline Dornig
🎊 Earthly Delights
More biodiversity thanks to smart farming
Artificial intelligence is seen as a key technology of the future in many sectors – including agriculture. The Cognitive Weeding project demonstrates how AI can help preserve biodiversity. Instead of removing all weeds indiscriminately during fieldwork, the AI identifies individual plant species and determines whether a particular weed poses a threat to crop yields or not. This allows as many wild plants as possible to remain, promoting biodiversity in agricultural fields and paving the way for more ecological farming practices.
Implementing Cognitive Weeding was a complex endeavor: the preparation of data proved challenging, as it required the use of custom drone footage and sensor systems. Creating precise maps of the target areas also demanded significant time and effort.
All the more encouraging, then, that the project's results are already having an impact: the company Farming Revolution plans to incorporate the findings into its hoeing robots, and Amazone-Werke is using the insights to inform future product development. The project is also inspiring academic research, including doctoral dissertations. This approach opens up new perspectives and makes an important contribution to promoting biodiversity and soil health in cultivated agricultural land.
💯 Number of the Week
90% less energy consumption thanks to compact AI models
A research team from Saarland University and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) presented a major breakthrough at Hannover Messe 2025: artificial intelligence can become significantly more energy-efficient. Using innovative methods like knowledge distillation and neural architecture search, large AI models can be reduced to their essential components—without compromising performance.
Instead of relying on energy-intensive mass data processing, so-called “student models” are used, which require up to 90% less power. These streamlined models not only enable more sustainable data centers but also make high-performance AI accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises for the first time.
A practical example comes from the steel industry: in scrap metal recycling, a compressed AI model is now being used with greater efficiency, aiming to replace more energy-demanding systems. In addition, the researchers are developing tools to make AI energy consumption measurable and to support sustainable planning.
With their project ESCADE, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the team is setting new standards for environmentally friendly AI—a crucial step toward climate-neutral digitalization.
Shabnam
💪 Challenge of the Week
Discover Digital Day
Digitalization can make a big difference—especially for climate action. When used smartly, digital tools can help save travel, paper, energy, and often even CO₂. And: digital participation means being part of the change—well-informed, connected, and actively shaping the future.
The next Digital Day will take place on June 27, 2025 under the motto:
"Digital Democracy: Speak up. Help shape. Get involved."
Many exciting activities are already lined up: workshops, talks, tools, and events—on-site or online, free and open to everyone. Perfect for this week’s challenge:
Check out the list of activities and find an event that interests you. Or plan to contribute an activity yourself.
Block the week of June 21–29, 2025 in your calendar now so you don’t miss when Germany comes together digitally. All the information you need about the day of action can be found here.
Bonus tip:
Maybe there are already digital tools in your daily life that help you get things done more easily or efficiently.
This is a great moment to pause and ask:
How can I use digital opportunities consciously and meaningfully for greater sustainability?
Have fun exploring and planning 🌍💡
Thank you for reading KlimaGoodNews #71 💚
We're already looking forward to the next edition—bringing you more positive news for a more sustainable future together!