Episode 17: Phones, Drones, and Satellites: Measuring Forest Carbon with Aakash Ahamed, CEO @ Working Trees

In this episode, we speak with Aakash Ahamed, a remote sensing scientist developing methods to measure forest carbon using instruments deployed on phones, drones, planes, and satellites. He is the co-founder and CEO of Working Trees, a start-up focused on leveraging mobile phone sensing technology to improve ease, accuracy, and transparency in tree carbon monitoring.  In this episode, Aakash shares Working Trees’ origin story at Stanford, the company’s journey to find product-market fit, plans for scale, and the challenge with measuring trees from space.In this episode, we touch on:How forest carbon is measured today, and the challenges and costs of doing soThe sensors already in our mobile phones, and their usefulness for measuring forest carbon at low cost today… and on the flip-side, the limitations of satellitesCarbon credits as bridge for financing for critical natural climate solutionsWhy Aakash is excited about the SEC’s climate disclosure regulationThe importance of the scientific process and peer-reviewed papers to building trust with new technologyWant to learn more? Check out these resources:Working Trees websiteWorking Trees dashboard of project sitesComprehensive Analysis of the SEC’s Landmark Climate Disclosure RuleWorking Trees iOS ApplicationWorking Trees Android ApplicationWorking Trees’ peer reviewed researchEpisode recorded on: March 8, 2024

Om Podcasten

We are a show about nature’s role in tackling climate change. A new industry is taking shape, and our goal is to host a candid, cross-disciplinary conversation on nature and its role in addressing climate change. We are three friends with diverse backgrounds who met in business school at Stanford and share a common interest in demystifying natural climate solutions. Together, we’ll unpack this growing field and connect the dots across the people and ideas shaping its future. Whether you work in the space already or are hearing the term “nature-based solution” for the first time, this show is for you. Join the conversation with industry juggernauts, environmental thought leaders, and entrepreneurs around the world who are operating at the frontier of nature-based solutions.