For Day 2 of World Space Week, we will be investigating how GI contributes to Carbon Accounting here in Australia.
Several of the UN sustainable development goals relate directly to the health of the environment, including a commitment to climate action, and protecting marine and terrestrial environments; all of which are either directly or indirectly affected by climate change.
As part of a transition to zero carbon economy, it has been recognised that carbon abatement and sequestration will be necessary to reduce the net emissions of industry and infrastructure, which generally take longer to transition to a carbon neutral status.
GI has been working with several industry leading partners in the climate change sector, providing both imagery and analytics. This has included work in quantifying afforestation and reforestation efforts and potential, to aid in quantifying carbon abatement projects.
Historically, forest-based carbon abatement projects have faced limitations in measuring project success, particularly when implemented in remote areas and on large scales, with medium resolution imagery (10m-30m), failing to account for individual tree size or stand density. Comprehensive and robust monitoring and evaluation is essential to ensuring project success.
GI’s access to high-resolution satellite imagery (<1.5m) allows us to provide measurements of project potential and success on an individual tree basis, removing many of the limitations faced by medium resolution imagery.
Recently, GI worked with a client to quantify forest extent in a planned reforestation project, identifying areas suitable for the project to be conducted according to regulation guidelines. This project will continue at regular monitoring intervals to quantify carbon sequestration and overall project success.
The industry is slated to receive an additional $18 billion in federal government funding over the next 8 years, making it likely that we will see an uptake in the need for GI services in the future.