Here’s today’s stories of progress in the fight against climate change and nature loss.

⛏️ The minerals we need – without further damaging the planet

Extracting the materials we need for the energy transition comes with problems of its own, as the process is incredibly polluting and destructive to surrounding ecosystems. But new innovations purport to make mining far more sustainable – from using electricity instead of toxic chemicals, to using CO2 in a carbon-negative process. Yet many of these minerals have already been dug up, and linger in old mining waste, so separating trash from treasure could be a way of eliminating pollution while avoiding new mining projects. 

🌿 AI is speeding up biodiversity research

Hundreds of millions of preserved plant specimens – some hundreds of years old – hold the secrets to our planet’s biodiversity. Digitising these plants means they can be leveraged for critical biodiversity research, but the process is time consuming and laborious. A new AI software can capture both an image of the plant and decipher the handwriting of the botanist who recorded it, hugely speeding up the process so that breakthroughs can happen faster.

🔥 The all-female teams using fire for good

In a new training program, female firefighters in Nebraska are learning the practice of prescribed burning. Here, by setting dry vegetation alight, the risk of forest fires is hugely reduced. 90% of firefighters are male, so this training both expands the number of people trained in these invaluable techniques, and helps strengthen bonds between women on the force.

The Green Light is written by freelance climate writer Molly Millar.