Data is often talked about in abstract terms – numbers, algorithms, systems – but its real power lies in what it makes possible. Influencing everything from the food we eat to the cities we live in and the technology we rely on, data is increasingly shaping smarter, more responsive solutions to complex global challenges.

These three TED Talks explore how we could use data to create a more sustainable and efficient future.

1. Big data, small farms and a tale of two tomatoes

Run time: 15 mins

What it’s about: Entrepreneur and Family Dinner co-founder Erin Baumgartner believes better food starts with better data. Drawing on her experience building a farm-to-table business, she explores how it could create a more sustainable, localised food system that prioritises quality over mass production.

Baumgartner highlights the staggering scale of global food waste – about one-third of all food produced – and argues that smarter, data-driven decision making is key to fixing it.

Her solution is a tech-enabled network of local farms, powered by three core innovations: a subscription-based ecommerce platform to stabilise demand, predictive tools to guide planting and harvesting, and route-optimisation software to cut down on travel costs and emissions. It’s a compelling vision of how data could reconnect us with our food and the people who grow it.

2. 3 ways your company's data can jump-start climate action

Run time: 9.5 mins

What it’s about: Research undertaken by data cooperation expert Massimo Russo reveals 85% of solutions that have the potential to improve urban life and sustainability depend on greater data sharing between businesses, governments and individuals. While many companies hesitate to share data due to what he calls “FOMA” (fear of missing out on competitive advantage), he finds they’re more willing to make an exception when the data is used for social good – especially when it comes to fighting climate change.

Russo shows how shared data could create smarter cities. If transport providers, utilities and building managers pooled their data, for example, cities could make better decisions about renewable energy investments, reduce emissions and even lower costs for residents.

He also highlights the role individuals can play, suggesting that sharing everyday data, such as travel and shopping patterns, can help organisations design more climate-friendly systems.

3. The story you're not hearing about AI data centers

Run time: 12 mins

What it’s about: Have you ever felt guilty using AI tools, thinking about the massive amount of energy they consume? In this talk, computer scientist Ayșe Coskun offers a solution.

She has developed software that can pause or speed up data centre workloads according to power grid needs. This flexibility allows data centres to act like virtual batteries – absorbing excess renewable energy when it’s abundant and easing demand during peak times – making electricity systems more affordable, stable and resilient.

While coordinating such a system is complex, she argues that AI itself – the perpetrator of the problem – is also the solution. By predicting energy availability, demand and pricing in real time, AI can optimise how and when data centres operate, aligning computing needs with power constraints.

Coskun’s vision reframes AI not as an environmental liability, but as a powerful tool for accelerating sustainable energy use.