Carbon Mapper is a Pasadena, California-based nonprofit that measures greenhouse gas emissions and helps develop emission-reduction policies. The organization’s central program, also called Carbon Mapper, uses aircraft, satellites, and gas-sensing technology to track methane and carbon dioxide emissions across the globe. The project is being developed by a partnership between universities, private companies, philanthropic foundations, and government agencies.

Carbon Mapper is funded primarily by left-of-center foundations Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, the High Tide Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute. In 2021, Carbon Mapper received a $10 million grant from the Windward Fund, a nonprofit managed by Arabella Advisors.

Carbon Mapper, which also receives funding from the state of California, was originally envisioned by a plan developed by California Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) to use a satellite network to track greenhouse gas emissions. ¹

Carbon Mapper Project

Carbon Mapper is both the name of the organization and the project at its center, which is developed in partnership with Planet, the State of California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, the High Tide Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute. ³

The Carbon Mapper project consists of three operations. First, Carbon Mapper uses “remote air-sensing technology” in airplanes to identify and measure methane emissions hot spots, such as oil and gas production fields and landfills. This method has been in operation since 2016 and has been used to spot unseen methane leaks in California gas extraction operations. Second, Carbon Mapper is developing a “satellite constellation” to detect methane “super emitters.” The system will also monitor carbon dioxide emissions and produce “25 other environmental indicators useful for ecosystem management.” Planet Labs, a satellite company, is manufacturing and launching satellites for Carbon Mapper, with the first two launches scheduled for 2023. Third, Carbon Mapper supports research on greenhouse gas detection and measures to reduce greenhouse gas production. ^{4 5 6 7}

The Carbon Mapper project is considered a major contributor to the Global Methane Pledge, an international agreement launched in 2021 and signed by 149 countries to reduce methane production by 30 percent from 2020 to 2030. According to the Biden administration’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry: “The pledge needs to be matched with bold solutions. One way to do this is with the Carbon Mapper Accelerator program—it will give everyone who is serious about curbing methane emissions transparent, independent data and insights on actions that we can take today to make the emission reductions we know are necessary to keep 1.5 [degrees Celsius of warming] within reach.” ⁸

Funding

In 2022, Carbon Mapper generated $23,068,061 in revenue, down from $82,991,828 the previous year. Nearly all revenue in both years came from grants, though Carbon Mapper generated around $1 million both years from services. ⁹

In November 2022, the Grantham Foundation, a partner organization of Carbon Mapper, contributed $8 million to Carbon Mapper to launch an initiative to improve the measurement techniques of methane emitted from solid waste-emitting sights. ¹⁰ Also in 2022, Global Methane Hub, an international NGO based in Chile, donated $3 million to Carbon Mapper, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the Clean Air Task Force to develop the Waste Methane Assessment Platform, a platform that displays local methane production across the globe. ¹¹

In October 2021, Carbon Mapper and its partner organizations announced they were spending $25 million on the Carbon Mapper project. Prior to the announcement, Carbon Mapper had raised $100 million. ¹²

Also in 2021, the Windward Fund, an environmentalist fiscal sponsor organization under Arabella Advisors, donated $10 million to Carbon Mapper, the largest reported donation in that year by Windward. ¹³ In the same year, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation made a four year grant to Carbon Mapper for $2.5 million. ¹⁴ OceanKind also contributed $400,000 to Carbon Mapper to support “remote sensing of offshore methane emissions in the Gulf of Mexico.” ¹⁵

1. Fernholz, Tim. “The era of real-time emissions surveillance is upon us.” QZ. April 15, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://qz.com/1997171/planet-to-launch-methane-hunting-satellites-for-carbon-mapper.
3. “Who We Are.” Carbon Mapper. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://carbonmapper.org/about-us/.[/note] ² “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).” Carbon Mapper. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://carbonmapper.org/our-mission/faq/.
4. “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).” Carbon Mapper. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://carbonmapper.org/our-mission/faq/.
5. “Carbon Mapper overview.” YouTube. Novemeber 3, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NzPnZ9f6BE.
6. Fernholz, Tim. “The era of real-time emissions surveillance is upon us.” QZ. April 15, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://qz.com/1997171/planet-to-launch-methane-hunting-satellites-for-carbon-mapper.
7. Bussewitz, Cathy. “Difficulty measuring methane slows plan to slash emissions.” AP News. January 31, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/drones-business-climate-and-environment-0a1ab9be3427818cfe5f33521b9b05c2.
8. “Bloomberg Philanthropies Commits $25 Million to Accelerate Satellite and Airborne Methane Sensing Technologies to Turbocharge Fight Against Climate Change.” Bloomberg Philanthropies. October 12, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.org/press/bloomberg-philanthropies-commits-25-million-accelerate-satellite-airborne-methane-sensing-technologies-turbocharge-fight-against-climate-change/.
9. “Carbon Mapper.” ProPublica. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/853149996/202203479349301655/full.
10.  “Carbon Mapper Launches New Initiative to Guide Global Action on Solid Waste Methane Emissions Thanks to $8M Commitment from the Grantham Foundation.” Carbon Mapper. Novemeber 16, 2022. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://carbonmapper.org/global-waste-initiative-grantham-grant/.
11. “Global Methane Hub announces $10 million in methane mitigation grants.” Philanthropy News Digest. November 7, 2022. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/global-methane-hub-announces-10-million-in-methane-mitigation-grants.
12. “Bloomberg Philanthropies Commits $25 Million to Accelerate Satellite and Airborne Methane Sensing Technologies to Turbocharge Fight Against Climate Change.” Bloomberg Philanthropies. October 12, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.org/press/bloomberg-philanthropies-commits-25-million-accelerate-satellite-airborne-methane-sensing-technologies-turbocharge-fight-against-climate-change/.
13. Ludwig, Hayden; Thayer, Parker. “Arabella’s $1.6 Billion “Dark Money” Haul in 2021.” Capital Research Center. Novemeber 16, 2022. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/arabellas-1-6-billion-dark-money-haul-in-2021/.
14. “Carbon Mapper.” Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://ciff.org/grant-portfolio/carbon-mapper/.
15. “Remote sensing of offshore methane emissions in the Gulf of Mexico, 2021.” OceanKind. March 28, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://oceankind.org/grants/2021-carbon-mapper/.