Non-profit search engine Ecosia is partnering up with AccuWeather to deliver "hyper-local forecasts" to its users. The goal here is to provide potentially life-saving alerts for weather events as they occur.
It appears the update has already been implemented because if you go to Ecosia and type in your location along with the word “weather” in the search bar, you’ll encounter the revamped tool. The window displays a 'Current Conditions view' complete with humidity levels, AccuWeather’s RealFeel temperature index, and warnings at the bottom. These will tell you if it’s an exceptionally hot day or if the air quality is poor, among other things.
Regarding air quality, Ecosia’s alerts link people to the AccuWeather Air Quality Scale, which teaches people about “the impact… pollution will have on their health.” The scale is color-coded, with green meaning the air quality is fantastic, while Fuchsia pink signifies that it’s dangerous to be outside. Certain groups might experience negative “health effects immediately” after exposure if it ever gets that bad.
Availability
Below the alert are the familiar Daily and Weekly Forecasts. The system offers “up-to-the-minute Alerts” worldwide, so you’ll know exactly when the weather changes on a dime, all the way down to street level in the US and European urban areas.
This update is available right now on Ecosia for desktop and mobile app. However, due to the smaller space, the mobile version has less information and lacks the sunrise/sunset time readouts. Fortunately, everything else is there.
Something we found interesting in the platform’s announcement is that the team behind Ecosia will utilize data to seek out urban areas suffering from extremely high temperatures and find which ones have little to no tree cover. Trees can be very helpful in cooling their surroundings “by providing shade and bringing moisture back into the air.” The non-profit can focus their urban tree-planting projects in these areas to combat heat.
Ecosia’s update could drive people seeking up-to-date forecasts away from Google Search. The tech giant’s platform does offer daily weather information, although it isn't as detailed. For instance, Google's version doesn’t show the RealFeel index.
Beautiful weather means more people go outside to exercise. To help you keep track of your progress, check out TechRadar's list of the best fitness trackers for 2024.
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