Can Microsoft AI Help to Mitigate Climate Change?

The importance of Microsoft technology in farming

Agriculture is perhaps the industry most exposed to the effects of climate change, so  Microsoft is keenly focused on protecting the sector.

In an online statement, the tech giant says:  “Farmers depend on predictable weather for their farm management practices, and unexpected weather events — for example, high heat, floods — leaves them unprepared to handle impacts by climate change.”

Microsoft explains the project’s broader goals: “Through this project, our goal is to enable researchers, practitioners and data scientists to build affordable digital technologies to help farmers estimate the emissions in their farm, with climate adaptation by predicting weather variations, and determine the right management practices that can be profitable and help improve soil health.”

How AI can help to understand ecosystems

Beyond agriculture, AI is amplifying understanding of natural ecosystems. In a novel approach to biodiversity monitoring, AI is being used to extract information from pollen collected by bees in southern Oregon, USA. 

This data is providing researchers with a unique insight into local plant life and environmental health. Microsoft says that “tens of thousands of bees collect as many as four billion tiny samples a year across the Klamath River basin.

“Studying them closely leads to rediscovery of rare native plants and new species — to help local ecosystems thrive.”