Land & Carbon Lab

Human activities are radically transforming natural landscapes, pushing us toward ecological and climatic tipping points and threatening livelihoods of people across the globe. At the same time, there is increasing pressure on limited land to meet various, often competing demands for human settlements, food, livestock feed, fiber, fuel, carbon storage, biodiversity and other ecosystem services – a dynamic known as the global land squeeze. Under a business-as-usual scenario, experts predict agricultural land will expand by over 600 million hectares by 2050 – an area twice the size of India, putting further strain on the earth’s finite land resources.

Addressing this global land squeeze and achieving global goals for people, nature and climate will require radically transforming how landscapes are managed and used.

We are partnering with leading scientists and technologists to build and deploy a comprehensive, open access monitoring system that will provide unprecedented transparency about what is happening to the world’s land anywhere on the planet, at any time.

Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, we synthesize troves of geospatial data to classify every parcel of land on Earth according to its land cover and use — ranging from natural forests, grasslands and wetlands to agricultural lands, agroforestry and built-up environments. This will allow data users and decision makers to monitor changes over time, both long term and in near-real-time, as well as the associated carbon impacts.

Our initial product offerings will allow governments, business and communities to monitor land use change; the conversion of natural ecosystems; restoration efforts; the extent and productivity of pasture and croplands; and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land uses (AFOLU).

Connect with Land & Carbon Lab: