Perhaps environmental data has yet to have its moment. Just as open financial data revolutionized public stock markets, open environmental data could be the missing link in driving better, more informed environmental policies and practices.
What environmental data exists that’s currently closed instead of open?
The one that really leaped out at us was the lack of openly available data regarding nature-based solutions—particularly planting trees.
Ground Truth is a two-man operation of former Canadian reforestation/afforestation contractors. Our clients usually demanded precise breakdowns of exact number of trees going into each site, species breakdown, etc. Monitoring of survival is equally rigorous.
A lot of projects around the world for carbon sequestration or habitat restoration are doing a great job of trying to be transparent, but for the most part we see no such evidence in planting projects. Mainly just grand claims.
In our minds, what’s needed for the world to take these kinds of solutions seriously is a demonstration of rigorous accounting, to avoid accusations of double-counting, greenwashing etc.
What environmental data exists that’s currently closed instead of open?
The one that really leaped out at us was the lack of openly available data regarding nature-based solutions—particularly planting trees.
Ground Truth is a two-man operation of former Canadian reforestation/afforestation contractors. Our clients usually demanded precise breakdowns of exact number of trees going into each site, species breakdown, etc. Monitoring of survival is equally rigorous.
A lot of projects around the world for carbon sequestration or habitat restoration are doing a great job of trying to be transparent, but for the most part we see no such evidence in planting projects. Mainly just grand claims.
In our minds, what’s needed for the world to take these kinds of solutions seriously is a demonstration of rigorous accounting, to avoid accusations of double-counting, greenwashing etc.