Nature, Technology, and AI: A Jigsaw of Solutions for the Climate Crisis
- Rachel Bailleau
- Sep 29
- 4 min read
When we talk about finding solutions for the climate crisis, the scale of the challenge can feel overwhelming. But if we break it down, the goals are quite simple:
Stop emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Draw down the gases we’ve already emitted to restore balance.
The question is: how do we get there? The answer is not one single magic bullet. Instead, we need a jigsaw puzzle of different solutions, both technical and nature-based, working together.
Why Nature-Based Solutions Are So Powerful
Restoring natural habitats is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into carbon-based compounds, which become part of the plant itself and enrich the soil.
But the benefits of healthy natural habitats extend far beyond carbon capture:
Forests, wetlands, and grasslands soak up carbon while restoring the water cycle, which cools the earth. Forests can actually bring rain back to dry areas! Find out more about the water cycle and climate change.
Mangroves and salt marshes protect coastal communities from storm surges while providing habitat for countless species.
Healthy soils store carbon, enhance food security, and increase the resilience of farmland to droughts and floods.
Nature-based solutions give us “co-benefits”: by creating space for wildlife, we get carbon out of the atmosphere but also support human health, safer communities, and bring water back to the land.
What About Technical Solutions for the Climate Crisis?
Nature-based solutions are effective. But we also need technology. Without it, we can’t provide a safe and comfortable life for everyone. Technical solutions include:
Solar panels and wind turbines, which replace fossil fuels with clean energy.
Efficient batteries, which allow us to store renewable energy for when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
Pollution-control technology, like the scrubbers on factory chimneys that successfully reduced acid rain.
Carbon capture machinery, which can help reduce emissions from industries that are difficult to decarbonise, though this will only ever play a small supporting role. (Trees are a lot cheaper to get in the ground, and they're pretty efficient carbon capture machines!)
Why We Need to Draw Down Carbon
Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the carbon we’ve already released (our historical emissions) would continue to warm the planet. That’s why we need to both prevent new emissions and remove the ones already in the atmosphere:
Technical solutions, such as clean energy and efficient transport, are crucial for limiting further emissions.
Natural solutions, like restoring forests, wetlands, and soils, are especially powerful for drawing down historical emissions, because they actively remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in plants and soils.
Overlap and support: Technical and natural solutions often work best together. Technology can help monitor and optimise natural solutions, for example, using satellites or AI to track reforestation or prevent illegal deforestation.
And What About AI?
Artificial intelligence (AI) can feel intimidating; I used to shy away from it myself. But at its core, AI is simply a tool, and like any tool, its impact depends on how we use it.
Yes, AI uses energy (data centres require significant power), but it also offers massive opportunities to reduce emissions and solve problems. For example:
Optimising energy use. AI can help balance electricity grids, predict demand, and make renewable energy more efficient.
Preventing deforestation. AI combined with satellite data can spot illegal logging or forest fires before they spread.
Improving transport. AI can design smarter public transport systems, reduce congestion, and lower emissions.
Supporting conservation. AI can analyse huge amounts of ecological data to help protect endangered species and restore habitats.
And don’t worry too much about the environmental impact of using AI as a search engine. Yes, an AI query uses more energy than a Google search, but a Google search doesn't use much energy to begin with.
Your focus is better placed on the low-hanging fruit, the choices that make the biggest impact. For example:
Flying less.
Eating less meat (you don’t need to go vegetarian to make a difference).
Taking public transport when possible.
Switching to clean energy.
Buying second-hand instead of new.
A Jigsaw of Hope
So, what do we really need? Both technical and nature-based solutions, working together like a patchwork quilt. Different contexts call for different approaches. A solar farm might make sense in one place, while wetland restoration is best in another. The beauty is in the combination.
And here’s the hopeful truth: we already have the solutions we need. Solar, wind, habitat restoration, conservation, efficient technology, smarter systems, and even AI are all tools at our disposal. The challenge now is speed. The faster we implement them, the lower we can keep global warming, and the more resilient we can make our societies and ecosystems.
We have every reason to be hopeful. Nature is resilient, humans are innovative, and together we can create a healthier, more balanced world.
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