Speaker: Sarah Castle, assistant professor, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, UW–Madison
The scalability of Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) within voluntary carbon markets is currently limited by technical inconsistencies in monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and the absence of standardized digital protocols (dMRV). This talk examines the development of shared frameworks for assessing the credibility of dMRV systems, focusing on the quantification of total uncertainty across the digital data pipeline, from remote sensing data acquisition to carbon flux estimation. Castle will discuss the development of shared frameworks for evaluating dMRV credibility, focusing on uncertainty quantification, transparent documentation of biomass models, and the management of “black box” algorithmic risks. Beyond technical precision, she argues that high-integrity dMRV must be grounded in human rights-based governance. This includes establishing data justice frameworks that ensure equitable access, protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and address the institutional obstacles to inclusive market participation. By aligning remote sensing advancements with a rights-based approach to accountability, we can develop more transparent and scientifically robust pathways for climate mitigation.