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As Microsoft pledges to go ‘carbon negative’ by 2030, forest conservation is required
(Eco Business, 4 Feb 2020) To achieve its goal, the tech giant has teamed with a Silicon Valley startup, that seeks to accurately track forest carbon stocks in projects in the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon and the US, using advanced remote-sensing technology, artificial intelligence and satellite imaging.
Microsoft made global headlines in January when it announced that it will become “carbon negative” by 2030, erasing all the company’s greenhouse gas emissions since its founding in 1975 — a move, the tech firm deemed “a bold bet and moonshot” for climate mitigation that in part requires the conservation and restoration of vast swaths of carbon-storing forests.
Behind those headlines is a little-known Silicon Valley startup that will be tracking forest carbon stocks in projects around the globe on behalf of Microsoft, using a pioneering array of advanced remote-sensing technology including LiDAR, artificial intelligence and satellite imaging.
Pachama, with $4.1 million in early investor backing, will closely monitor verified carbon offset projects to ensure Microsoft’s investment in the global carbon market is actually achieving forest preservation and emission reductions critical to slowing the rate of climate change.
Eco Business, 4 Feb 2020: As Microsoft pledges to go ‘carbon negative’ by 2030, forest conservation is required
