Listen to today’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silk-logic-sustainability-daily/id1842028080
Sustainability Daily Podcast 01/22/2026
From mining waste turned into critical minerals to AIs complex climate footprint, todays lineup explores how smarter systems, rigorous governance, and innovation are reshaping sustainability. Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories:
In Hunt for Rare Earths, Companies Are Scouring Mining Waste
Author: Jim Robbins | Published: January 21, 2026
Researchers and companies are extracting rare earth elements from acid mine drainage and tailings, cleaning waterways while supplying materials vital for EVs and wind turbines. Pilot projects in West Virginia and a larger initiative at Montanas Berkeley Pit suggest re-mining could meet significant demand with roughly half the carbon footprint of conventional mining. Fast-tracked permitting, however, heightens environmental and community risks, underscoring calls for stronger safeguards and modernized mining laws.
A hidden saboteur is the greatest threat to modern hospitality
Author: Shiji Group | Published: January 21, 2026
Technical debt and shadow IT are turning hotel tech stacks into strategic liabilities, making security-by-design and modern property management systems essential for resilience and growth. Case studies from Accor and SINA Hospitality show that simplifying and governing core platforms boosts revenue, improves security, and enables scalable personalization. The takeaway: executive ownership of technology and clean, integrated data architectures are now competitive advantages.
Despite its steep environmental costs, AI might also help save the planet
Author: Nir Kshetri | Published: January 21, 2026
AIs energy and water demands are rising, yet the technology is already driving efficiency gains across farms, data centers, buildings, energy systems, and aviation. Examples range from precision irrigation that cuts water use by up to 30% to AI-optimized cooling and workload scheduling in data centers, district heating forecasts in Copenhagen, methane leak detection, and contrail-avoiding flight routes. Scaling these targeted applications can offset part of AIs footprint while accelerating decarbonization.
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #4 2026
Authors: Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack | Published: January 21, 2026
Highlights include an EU-wide, building-level analysis showing rooftop PV potential of ~2.3 TWp capable of supplying around 40% of electricity demand in a 2050 100% renewable scenario. New hazard metrics reveal roughly tenfold amplification of extreme heat across much of Europe versus 19611990, while global temperature roundups confirm 2025 among the warmest years on record with record ocean heat content and near-record low sea ice. A climate literacy study suggests severe personal impacts from extreme weather can be teachable moments that improve public understanding.
Smart packaging market grows to $26.15 billion in 2025, driven by e-commerce surge
Author: Not specified | Published: January 21, 2026
Smart packaging materials are set to expand from $26.15 billion in 2025 to $41.51 billion by 2029 (12.2% CAGR), propelled by e-commerce, sustainability mandates, and IoT-enabled features such as tracking and tamper detection. North America currently leads, with Asia-Pacific growing fastest, while industry consolidation and innovation (e.g., lightweight designs and reduced plastics) aim to cut waste and improve circularity. Brands adopting intelligent and active packaging can unlock operational efficiency, compliance readiness, and consumer trust.
Optimizing regional innovation ecosystems through actorenvironment coevolution: A dynamic configurational analysis from a CAS perspective
Authors: Hanjun Pang, Yiling Jiang, Lei Wu, Lu Wang | Published: January 21, 2026
Analyzing 30 Chinese provinces, the study finds strong government investment is a necessary condition for high innovation performance, while weak enterprise R&D is a necessary condition for low performance. Five distinct configurations of actors and environments (including government-enterprise collaboration, openness, human capital, and platform strength) can drive high outcomes, highlighting the need for region-specific strategies. Policymakers are encouraged to tailor investments and governance to local contexts to accelerate innovation and economic resilience.
