How science and technology can help restore the atmosphere
At Google, we’re backing a whole portfolio of solutions that aim to clean up the atmosphere, from superpollutants like methane that are driving the most warming right now, to the excess carbon dioxide (CO2) that will continue to heat up the planet for decades and centuries to come.
This new mini docu-series showcases three of our projects based in Brazil that are each pushing the frontier of science and technology to help restore the atmosphere, while also delivering economic, environmental and health benefits to local communities. Together, these stories demonstrate that every solution counts when it comes to helping the world unlock progress towards tackling both near-term and long-term warming.
1. Eliminating the most potent gases before they enter the atmosphere
Partner spotlight: Orizon is one of the largest waste management companies in Brazil, and their ecoparks across the country leverage sophisticated technology to capture and eliminate the methane emissions produced from waste, including by converting it to energy.
Why it matters: Superpollutants warm the planet many times faster than CO2 and account for nearly half of the warming we’ve experienced to date. Orizon is directly eliminating the most pervasive superpollutant, methane, at one of its root sources: decomposing waste. We’re supporting many different approaches to eliminate superpollutants because the science is clear that doing so can have a meaningful impact on the atmosphere in the next decade.
How AI can help: Emerging tools can help identify the biggest sources of methane, and also monitor the impact of solutions that eliminate this potent gas before it reaches the atmosphere. Google has catalyzed efforts like Waste MAP to push further progress.
2. Restoring the planet’s natural ability to remove carbon
Partner spotlight: Mombak is the largest reforestation company in Brazil that is focused on carbon removal, and they’re using machine learning and data science to reforest degraded areas of the Amazon with native, diverse tree species.
Why it matters: Restoring natural ecosystems is a huge opportunity to use technology that existed long before we did — photosynthesis — to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Industrial-scale approaches that combine the best of science and technology, like Mombak’s, can help pull out vast quantities of carbon from the atmosphere. We’re also working to scale nature-based solutions through the Symbiosis Coalition, which we co-founded last year to build a market for other rigorously measured, high-impact reforestation projects.
How AI can help: AI-powered technologies are enabling more accurate measurement of how much carbon is stored in forests, as well as ongoing monitoring and management of carbon stocks, reductions and removals in forest, peatland, and other ecosystems. Tools like Google Earth AI and Earth Engine are enabling Earth Observation analysis and Geospatial AI with data, models, and deep learning for social and environmental impact.
3. Deploying breakthrough technologies with a long-term carbon removal pathway
Partner spotlight: Terradot is pioneering a technology solution that accelerates a natural process, using rocks to capture carbon, while unlocking data-driven insights for how Brazil’s massive agricultural industry can be optimized for both carbon removal and soil health.
Why it matters: If successful, Terradot’s approach could be deployed at scale to remove gigatons of excess CO2 from the atmosphere and store it permanently. We know that investing in these breakthrough technologies now can kickstart the progress needed to potentially unlock gigaton-scale carbon removal in the long run. To unlock this potential, we also co-founded Frontier and have supported more than 20 different emerging technologies alongside other buyers in the coalition to find what works and help those pathways scale.
How AI can help: AI models can help predict and optimize carbon removal from enhanced rock weathering in a given location, utilizing vast amounts of environmental data from soil quality to weather patterns, while also helping to monitor and verify how much carbon is permanently stored in its journey from the soil to the ocean. As a cohort member in the Google AI for Nature Accelerator, Terradot is leveraging Google’s AI to turn environmental data into climate benefits, and using Google Earth Engine to combine large amounts of remote sensing data for modeling with Geospatial AI.
